Gunmen Attack Bus Carrying Coptic Christians In Egypt, Scores Dead, Many Injured

No fewer than 26 people have died after unidentified gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying Coptic Christians in Egypt, the country’s media reports.

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A Coptic activist said the bus and an accompanying car were attacked as they drove along an unpaved road towards the St Samuel monastery, around 140 miles south of Cairo.

The attackers arrived in three pick-up trucks and opened fire on the bus in the Minya province, injuring 25 others.

Men, women and children are among the dead and injured, Health Ministry spokesman Khaled Mugahed told TV al-Masriya, adding that some of the injured are in critical condition.

“They used automatic weapons,” Essam el-Bedawi, Minya governor, told state media.

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Security forces launched a hunt for the attackers, setting up dozens of checkpoints and patrols on the desert road.

Coptic Christians have faced numerous attacks in Egypt, with the latest a twin bomb attack on Palm Sunday, last month. ISIS claimed responsibility for the bombings which killed 49 people and aimed at a vulnerable religious minority on one of the most important days on the Christian calendar.

Coptic Christians make up about 10% of Egypt’s population of 91 million. They base their theology on the teachings of the apostle Mark, who introduced Christianity to Egypt.

It is still not clear who was responsible for the shooting, however, all fingers will be pointed to Islamic State militants who have carried out similar attack on Coptic Christians in Egypt.

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