ICC Note:

Those who witnessed ISIS’s attack on a church located just outside of Cairo claim that residents and worshipers may have prevented a higher death toll. This is not the first time that ISIS has targeted Egypt’s Christians, but it does indicate a growing trend of activity by ISIS in the area. The militants will target anyone they deem outside of Islam, with Christians being the largest and most obvious target in Egypt. A government and society who treats Christians like second-class citizens further reinforce this narrative. Thankfully, this attack was prevented from being much worse.  

01/03/2018 Egypt (Premier) –   Witnesses to an attack claimed by Islamic State, in which at least nine people were killed outside a church in Cairo, claimed residents and worshippers may have prevented a much higher death toll.

They said worshippers shut the church’s iron gate to prevent the assailant entering and killing more people in the attack which lasted up to 20 minutes, with another 10 minutes passing before police shot and wounded the assailant.

A brave 53-year-old resident pounced on the gunman as he reloaded his automatic rifle in a move which likely also saved dozens of lives in the southern suburb of Helwan, said the witnesses.

Courageous residents pelted the assailant with rocks and soda cans as he walked away from the church, occasionally pausing to fire warning shots from his AK-47 rifle.

The attack began at around 10.30am when Mass at the Mar Mina church had just finished and some worshippers were already heading home.

Magdy Adel, a 65-year-old Christian who runs a store near the church, sheltered five worshippers – three elderly women, one elderly man and a middle-aged woman – who took cover in his shop. He pulled down the store’s shutters and hid on the pavement behind a car to keep an eye on the attacker.

“The terrorist was very agitated when they closed the church’s iron gate and he could not go inside,” he said. “He had a lot of ammunition and kept shooting at the gate, killing some people inside.”

Another witness, Mustafa Mahmoud, was on the street a short distance from the church when the gunman opened fire. He first thought the gunman was a plainclothes policeman assigned to guard the church.

“His first victim was a policeman guarding the church. He shot him but did not instantly kill him. A young man who rushed out from the church was killed right away. When a second policeman emerged, he shot him in the leg and he was dragged back inside the church by worshippers to keep him out of harm’s way.”

“Later, the terrorist finished off the first policemen with a few shots to the chest,” said Mr Mahmoud, a 39-year-old father of two.

The Christian owner of a store that sells wood coffins was shot dead, and his wife was shot dead too when she stormed out of the church to check on him.

…

For interviews, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: [email protected]