Priest describes attack on Christian pilgrims in Egypt that killed 7
452 views · Published 7 November 2018 · 1:13 · Indexed 7 October 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(2 Nov 2018) Islamic militants ambushed three buses carrying Christian pilgrims on their way to a remote desert monastery south of the Egyptian capital of Cairo on Friday, killing seven and wounding 19, according to the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Interior Ministry. All but one of those killed were members of the same family, according to a list of the victims' names released by the church. The local Islamic State affiliate which spearheads militants fighting security forces in the Sinai Peninsula claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement, according to SITE, a US-based group that monitors and translates militants' statements. It said the attack was revenge for the imprisonment by Egyptian authorities of "our chaste sisters." The Islamic State has repeatedly vowed to go after Egypt's Christians as punishment for their support of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. The attack is likely to cast a shadow on one of el-Sissi's showpieces - the World Youth Forum - which opens Saturday in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Friar Begemy Naseem Nasr, the priest of the church of St. Mary in Minya, said he thought the attack was meant to embarrass el-Sissi and make the state look weak. Friday's attack is the second to target pilgrims heading to the St. Samuel the Confessor monastery in as many years, indicating that security measures in place since then are either inadequate or have become lax. The previous attack in May 2017 left nearly 30 people dead. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/02d0cc8fd5cf0a128d2c43959dbe6736
