IS claims Egypt Coptic attack, remains threat despite military defeat
The Islamic State (IS) took responsibility for an attack at a Coptic Church in Egypt on Friday where shooters killed at least 11 people.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The Islamic State (IS) took responsibility for an attack at a Coptic Church in Egypt on Friday where shooters killed at least 11 people.
Police officers shot one of the attackers dead while the other, 33-year-old Ibrahim Isma’il Isma’il Mustafa, was wounded and detained, state media and officials said.
According to the Egyptian Interior Ministry, security forces had “immediately dealt with [Mustafa] and arrested him after he was wounded,” adding that “legal measures have been taken.”
The gunmen opened fire at a Christian-owned shop, killing two people, before moving to the Mar Mina church in the southern Cairo suburb of Halwan, Reuters reported.
Some say it is unclear whether IS is responsible for Friday’s attack as no evidence was provided and the group could be seeking an opportunity to stay relevant following military defeats in Iraq and Syria.
A Coalition official recently told Kurdistan 24 the militant group was an “adaptive” enemy and would most likely keep performing terror acts.
The shooting in Halwan is not the first time IS claimed an attack against Christians in Egypt.
The extremist group’s affiliates in the country have killed dozens of Christians in church bombings and shootings in recent years.
In December 2016, IS took responsibility for a blast at Cairo’s largest Coptic cathedral that killed 28 people.
Authorities have increased security presence around churches ahead of Coptic Christmas celebrations on Jan. 7, deploying police officers and equipment outside Christian places of worship.
Egypt’s Coptic Christians are the largest religious minority in the region and account for about 10 percent of the country’s population of 93 million.