Gunmen kill Coptic Christian in Egypt’s Sinai
Egyptian security officials say gunmen have shot dead a Coptic Christian man in the turbulent north of the Sinai Peninsula, the latest attack to target members of the country’s Christian minority.
According to Crux Now, officials said three masked gunmen carried out the attack and identified the victim as 35-year-old Bassem Attallah.
They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
No group claimed responsibility for the Saturday attack, which bore the hallmarks of Islamic State militants, who are spearheading a years-long insurgency in northern Sinai.
The Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt, with 10 to 15 million followers in the country and 18 to 25 million in other places, is the largest Christian minority in the Middle East, and its situation is often considered a bellwether for broader Christian prospects across the region.
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