7 Copts killed leaving Christmas liturgy

(thetimes.co.uk) - Seven people were killed after being sprayed with bullets in a drive-by shooting as they left a Coptic Christian church in southern Egypt on Wednesday.


Three men in a passing car opened fire on church goers as they left a midnight Mass for Coptic Christmas in the town of Nag Hamadi in Qena province, about 40 miles (64 km) from Luxor.

Egypt's Interior Ministry said the attack was suspected as retaliation for the rape in November of a Muslim girl by a Christian man in the same town. The statement said witnesses have identified the lead attacker.

Bishop Kirollos of the Nag Hamadi Diocese said six male churchgoers and one security guard were killed. He said he had left St. John's church just minutes before the attack.

"A driving car swerved near me, so I took the back door," said Mr Kirollos. "By the time I shook hands with someone at the gate, I heard the mayhem, lots of machine gun shots," he said, adding that he saw five bodies lying on the ground when he first looked at the site of the shooting, about 600 yards from where he was standing.

The bishop said he was concerned about violence on the eve of Coptic Christmas, which falls on Thursday, because of previous threats following the rape of the 12-year-old girl in November.

He got a message on his mobile phone saying: "It is your turn."


"I did nothing with it," he said. "My faithful were also receiving threats in the streets, some shouting at them: 'We will not let you have festivities'," he said.

Because of the threats, he said he ended his Christmas Mass one hour early.

Mr Kirollos said Muslim residents of Nag Hamadi and neighboring villages rioted for five days in November and torched and damaged Christian properties in the area after the rape.

"For days, I had expected something to happen on Christmas Day," he said. The bishop said police have now asked him to stay at home for fear of further violence.

Qena is one of Egypt's poorest and most conservative areas.

Christians, mostly Coptic, account for about 10 per cent of Egypt's predominantly Muslim population. As Islamic conservatism gains ground, Christians have increasingly complained about discrimination by the Muslim majority.

An Amnesty International report said sectarian attacks on the Coptic Christian community, comprising between 6 million and 8 million people in Egypt, increased in 2008. Sporadic clashes between Coptic Christians and Muslims left eight people dead.

The bishop said he had an idea of who the attackers were, calling them "Muslim radicals".

"It is all religious now. This is a religious war about how they can finish off the Christians in Egypt," he said.