Gunman fires on Coptic church
8 worshippers, 1 policeman killed in attack in Cairo suburb
CAIRO — A gunman on a motorcycle opened fire Friday outside a church in a Cairo suburb and at a nearby store, sparking a shootout that killed at least nine people, including eight Coptic Christians, Egyptian authorities said.
The gunman was also killed, along with at least one police officer.
The Islamic State took responsibility for the attack. It was the latest attack targeting the country’s embattled Christian minority.
The attack began when the gunman tried to break through the security cordon outside the Coptic Church of Mar Mina. It was not clear how many assailants were involved. Egypt’s Interior Ministry referred to only one, but the Coptic Orthodox church mentioned “gunmen.”
Five people were wounded, including another police officer, Health Ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said.
The attack came amid tightened security around churches and Christian facilities ahead of the Coptic Orthodox Christian celebrations of Christmas on Jan. 7.
Police have been stationed outside churches and in nearby streets across Cairo. President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has personally led meetings with his top security chiefs in recent days to discuss security during New Year’s Eve and the Orthodox Christmas.
U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Egypt’s president after the attack, condemning it and reiterating “that the United States will continue to stand with Egypt in the face of terrorism.”
“President Trump emphasized his commitment to strengthening efforts to defeat terrorism and extremism in all their forms,” a White House statement said. Trump has promised to make protecting beleaguered Christian communities overseas a priority for his administration.
A video circulating on social media after Friday’s attack apparently showed the gunman lying on the ground with his face covered in blood. Authorities closed off the area around the church.
The Interior Ministry identified the assailant as Ibrahim Ismail Mostafa, who, the agency said, was involved in several previous militant attacks. The Interior Ministry said he was wounded and arrested but made no mention of his death, which was reported by the Health Ministry.
The assailant had earlier opened fire at the nearby store owned by a Christian, the Interior Ministry said.
The Islamic State has for years sparred with security forces in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula in an insurgency now led by a local affiliate of the extremist Islamic State militant group. It is centered in the turbulent northern part of Sinai but has also carried out attacks in the mainland.
The militants are targeting mainly security personnel and Egypt’s Coptic Christian minority.
The latest attack, in the southern Cairo suburb of Helwan, underscores the difficulties faced by security forces in containing an insurgency that is growing in sophistication and brutality. The attack came a little more than a month after militants killed 311 worshippers inside a mosque in Sinai, the deadliest attack by militants on civilians in Egypt’s modern history.
Last week, they fired a guided rocket that destroyed an army helicopter at the airport of the city of el-Arish in northern Sinai during an unannounced visit there by the defense and interior ministers. At least one senior officer was killed and two wounded in that attack, which pointed to an unusually high level of intelligence available to the militants.
Samir Gerges, a witness to Friday’s church attack, said people inside the church closed the gates when the shooting began but that some bullets penetrated the building. Gerges said he was walking along a nearby street when the gunfire broke out. He saw people running and some taking cover in a nearby restaurant.
Another witness, 40-yearold Raouth Atta, was praying inside the church when the violence broke out.
“People were terrified and wanted to check on their families in other buildings of the church,” she said by phone. “We stayed inside for 30 minutes before we were able to get out.”
Once she was able to leave, Atta said, she saw blood everywhere.
Since December 2016, Egypt’s Copts have been targeted by the militants, who waged a series of attacks that left more than 100 dead and scores wounded. The country has been under a state of emergency since April after suicide bombings struck two Coptic Christian churches on Palm Sunday.
The Islamic State affiliate has claimed responsibility for all the bombings targeting Christians.