21 Egyptian Copts Killed And Injured In Brutal Attack By ISIS

File photo: AFP

On November 2, seven Copt civilians were killed and more than fourteen others were injured when gunmen opened fire at the bus, which was carrying them near the central Egyptian city of Minya.

Local sources told the UAE-based al-Arabiya TV that the gunmen had targeted a second bus, which was also carrying Copts, but the driver managed to move away in the right time. According to the sources, the two buses were on their way to the Monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement released by its news agency, Amaq. However, the terrorist group didn’t provide further information.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi condemned the attack and vowed to continue its war against terrorist groups in the country. El-Sis also stressed that this incident will not undermine the will of the Egyptian nation.

“I wish a speedy recovery to the injured and assert our determination to fight dark terrorism and to pursue the perpetrators,” Sisi said on his official Twitter account, according to Reuters.

According to al-Arabiya, the Egyptian President have ordered the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Interior to find and capture the perpetrators of the attack as soon as possible. As result, security measures were boosted in Minya and an investigation into the attack was launched.

Last year, a bus carrying Copts was targeted in the same way, in the same area by terrorists. More than twenty civilians were reportedly killed in the attack. However, it appears that the Egyptian authorities have not been able to improve security in Minya despite that tragedy.