Terror attack on church leaves 10 civilians dead in Egypt
A gunman opened fire on a church south of Cairo on Friday, killing at least ten people before policemen shot him dead, officials and state media said.
- World
- Anadolu Agency
- Published Date: 12:00 | 29 December 2017
- Modified Date: 03:29 | 29 December 2017
Ten people were killed on Friday in an attack on a church in southern Cairo, according to Egypt's Health Ministry.
"At least six people were killed and five others injured -- including two women in critical condition -- in an attack on the Marminna Church in Cairo's southern Helwan district," ministry spokesman Khaled Mujahid told Egyptian state television.
Egypt's official Middle East News Agency (MENA) had earlier quoted an Interior Ministry source as saying that security personnel had foiled an attack on the church by two gunmen.
According to that source, who was not named, one of the culprits had been killed by police, who were currently in the process of tracking down the second attacker.
State daily Akhbar al-Youm, meanwhile, reported that a "terrorist" had been shot dead by police after attempting to force his way into the church.
The Interior Ministry has yet to issue an official statement on the incident, which occurred only hours after the army announced the death of six soldiers and three gunmen in two separate armed confrontations in the northern Sinai Peninsula.
In April, a deadly attack on two churches in northern Egypt left 45 people dead. The Daesh terrorist group later claimed responsibility for the attack, which coincided with the Christian Palm Sunday holiday.