At least 11 killed as Egyptian forces foil attack on a church south of Cairo

Two unidentified gunmen killed eleven people as they opened fire early Friday on a church south of Cairo, ahead of Coptic Christian celebrations next week, Egypt’s state TV and health ministry said.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks, in a statement carried out by its Amaq news agency, though it provided no evidence for the claim.

Security forces shot dead one of the assailants in an exchange of fire outside the church of Mar Mina in Helwan district while the other assailant has been captured, state TV and state news agency MENA said.

Health ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed told state television that nine people, including a Muslim and eight Christians, had been killed, in addition to the gunman, and five injured. Those wounded include two women in critical condition, he added.

State TV aired footage of the assailant’s body, showing a bearded man wearing an explosive vest lying on the ground as crowds gathered.

The interior ministry said in a statement in the afternoon that it arrested an attacker on a motorcycle who attempted to drive through security forces outside the church armed with a machinegun, ammunition and a bomb that he intended to detonate in the church.

The ministry said he killed two people when he opened fire on a shop before heading to the church where he shot dead seven people, including a policeman.

The arrested attacker is an active terrorist who has carried out a number of terrorist attacks targeting police and civilians, the statement added.

Cairo’s security chief and a number of security officials visited the scene of the attack earlier Friday.

Friday’s attack took place as Egyptian Coptic Christians, who make up 10 percent of the country’s 93 million population, make preparations to celebrate Christmas on 7 January.

Islamist militants have killed dozens of Christians in bombings and shootings in recent years.

Security forces have beefed up security around churches ahead of the Coptic celebrations, deploying policemen to guard churches and installing metal detectors at some larger churches. Source: Ahram online