Three men in a car poured gunfire into a crowd of churchgoers in southern Egypt on Wednesday as they left a midnight Mass for Coptic Christmas, claiming the lives of at least seven people, said the church bishop and security official.
The Egyptian Interior Ministry said the attack just before midnight was suspected as retaliation for the November rape of a Muslim girl by a Christian man in the same town. The statement said witnesses have identified the lead attacker.
The attack took place in the town of Nag Hamadi in Qena province, about 64 kilometers from the famous ancient ruins of Luxor. A local security official said on condition of anonymity that seven were dead and three seriously wounded.
Bishop Kirollos of the Nag Hamadi Diocese told AP that the dead included six male churchgoers and one security guard and that he had left St. John's church just minutes before the attack.
AP
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