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| Africa North | ||
| Day 2: Islamic State claims deadly attack on Egypt church | ||
| 2017-12-30 | ||
The Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... terror group grabbed credit for an attack Friday on a church south of Cairo that left at least nine people dead. A "security detachment" carried out the attack on the Saint Mina Coptic church in the district of Helwan, IS said in a statement via its propaganda agency Amaq. The attack was carried out by a gunman on a cycle of violence who opened fire outside the church and at a nearby store, sparking a shootout that killed at least nine people, including eight Coptic Christians, Egyptian authorities said. It was the latest attack targeting the country’s embattled Christian minority. The gunman was also killed, along with at least one police officer, officials said. 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 "button men." Five people were maimed, including another police officer, Health Ministry front man Khaled Megahed said. The attack came amid tightened security around churches and Christian facilities ahead of the Coptic Orthodox Christian celebrations of Christmas on January 7. Police have been stationed outside churches and in nearby streets across Cairo. President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has personally chaired meetings with his top security chiefs in recent days to discuss security during New Year’s Eve and the Orthodox Christmas. 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 attacks.
Into the paddy wagon wit' yez! but made no mention of his death, which was reported by the Health Ministry. The assailant had earlier shot up the nearby store owned by a Christian, the Interior Ministry said. 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-year-old 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 told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named 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. "We kept praying," said the Rev. Boules, who was teaching a class in the church complex. On hearing gunfire, he went to check on his students, who were panicking and terrified. Since December 2016, Egypt’s Copts have been targeted by the terrorists, who waged a series of attacks that left more than 100 dead and scores maimed. The country has been under a state of emergency since April after suicide kabooms struck two Coptic Christian churches on Palm Sunday. The IS affiliate has grabbed credit for all the bombings targeting Christians. | ||
| Posted by:trailing wife |