Iran Condemns Attack on Egyptian Christians
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned a terrorist attack on a bus carrying Christians south of Egypt’s capital Cairo that killed and wounded several people.
In a statement on Friday, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi condemned the terrorists attack in Egypt earlier in the day and expressed his sympathy with the families of victims of the “despicable” incident.
At least seven people were killed in the assault on the bus carrying visitors to a monastery in northern Egypt on Friday, as the vehicle was nearby the Saint Samuel Coptic Christian monastery close to Minya, a city about 270km south of Cairo.
The Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack.
The archbishop of Minya, Anba Makarious, said at least seven people were killed and 14 wounded in the attack.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said he was "deeply saddened" by the attack and vowed to push ahead with Egypt's campaign against "terrorism".
In May 2017, at least 28 people were killed and dozens more wounded when gunmen opened fire on a vehicle carrying Coptic Christians to the complex.
Copts, a Christian minority that make up about 10 percent of Egypt's estimated 99 million people, in recent years, have been repeatedly targeted by Daesh in recent years.
