At least 10 gunmen opened fire on a bus transporting Coptic Christians in Cairo, Egypt, and killed 28 people. The Christians were headed to the St. Samuel the Confessor monastery.
Men, women, and children are among the dead. Fox News reported that Copt United news portal confirmed only three children survived the massacre. The gunmen also injured 22 others.
From CBS News:
Eyewitnesses told Egyptian media that around 8:45 a.m. local time, about 10 masked men with assault rifles, some dressed in military uniforms, emerged from vehicles and sprayed the bus with bullets.Some of the gunmen went into the bus and continued to fire on the passengers, many of whom were women and children, according to the witnesses. The attack lasted just a few minutes, after which the attackers fled the scene. They governor of Minya said Egyptian police had launched a manhunt for the attackers and set up roadblocks in the region.Khaled Mogahed, the Health Ministry spokesman, said the death toll stood at 26 but feared it could rise further. According to Copts United news portal, only three children survived the attack. It was not immediately known if most or all of the victims were children.
No one has taken responsibility for the attack, but Coptic Christians have become a top target of ISIS in the area. Members of the terrorist group in the area released a video in February in which they declared Christians in the country as their “favorite prey.”
Pope Francis visited Egypt in April, but after his visit, ISIS immediately “vowed to escalate attacks against Christians, urging Muslims to steer clear of Christian gatherings and Western embassies, saying they were targets for the group’s followers.”
I will update this post when more information becomes available.
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