At least 26 Coptic Christians were killed Friday as gunmen attacked buses headed toward a site of worship, the New York Times reports.
Gunmen drove up in SUVs and opened fire as the group headed toward the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor. From the New York Times:
Bishop Makarios [of the Coptic Orthodox Church] said many of the victims had been shot at close range. The dead included children, older adults, and laborers, he said, and 23 others were wounded. … “The gunmen got on the bus and they shot people point-blank,” Bishop Makarios said.
No group has claimed responsibility yet.
This latest attack comes as violence against Christians escalates across the Middle East and Africa. Coptic Christians have been a particular target in Egypt, where bombings in Coptic churches on Palm Sunday earlier this year killed at least 78 people.
