Breaking News: Egypt Attack: Coptic Christians Killed on Bus Heading to Monastery
An attack targeting a bus carrying Coptic Christians left 24 people dead on Friday, Egyptian authorities said.
State TV reported gunmen opened fire as the vehicle traveled on the road to the St. Samuel Monastery in Minya province, which is located about 140 miles south of Cairo.
Ministry of health spokesman Dr. Khaled Mojahed told NBC News that 24 people were killed and 27 others wounded. Essam al-Bedaiwy, the governor of Minya, also confirmed the attack to Reuters.
The Associated Press quoted security officials as saying witnesses saw between eight and 10 attackers, dressed in military uniforms and wearing masks. The victims were traveling from the nearby province of Bani Suief to visit the monastery.
The U.S. Embassy in Cairo warned Americans of a "potential threat" on Wednesday.
No group immediately claimed responsibility.
The victims included children, according to the Associated Press.
Arab TV stations showed images of a damaged bus along a roadside, many of its windows shattered.
Christians make up around 10 percent of Egypt's mostly Muslim population of 83 million. They have long faced discrimination, but in recent years they have found themselves increasingly targeted by Islamist extremists.
Experts told NBC News last month that the violence leveled against them was "the worst it has ever been."
Steven A. Cook, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations , said: "They have never been targeted in the way that they are now. Egypt is extremely dangerous for Copts in ways it hasn't been dangerous before."
On Palm Sunday, bombers targeted two churches in different cities, killing at least 44 people. ISIS claimed responsibility for both attacks. At the time, officials said one of the bombers belonged the same terrorist cell that killed 30 people in December when it blew up a chapel next to the country's main Coptic Christian cathedral.
Squeezed by a U.S.-backed military effort in Syria and Iraq, ISIS is attempting to establish a foothold in Egypt by destabilizing the country's fragile demographic patchwork.
Pope Francis visited Egypt in April to show solidarity with its persecuted Christians and to try to mend relations with Muslims across the region.
Following the pontiff's trip, ISIS vowed to escalate the attacks against Christians, urging Muslims to steer clear of Christian gatherings and Western embassies.
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So, the Pope goes to visit and to try to mend fences with the Muslims and ISIS decides to thank him by stepping up attacks? Animals.
Let's try to keep this on track, shall we?