The UK, Germany, and Arab States condemned a terrorist attack which killed at least seven Copts and injured 12 near the Monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor in Upper Egypt's Minya on Friday. In a tweet, British Foreign Office Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt said he was "appalled at news of the attack", adding that "his thoughts were with the families of the victims." "The UK will continue to support #Egypt and all its people in the fight against terrorism," Burt said. UK's ambassador to Egypt Sir Geoffrey Adams also tweeted to offer his condolences to Egyptians for the attack. "I offer my deepest condolences to all Egyptians as we mourn together the loss of innocent lives today. Britain stands with Egypt against terrorism," the ambassador said. The German Ambassador to Egypt Julius Georg Luy also denounced the attack. "I deeply suffered of this resurgent and vile attack on peaceful Egyptians in Minya," Luy said, adding that "there was no justification to carry out such violent terror attacks." The German envoy affirmed his country's support to Egyptian people. The US Embassy in Cairo said "it condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist attack on Egyptian pilgrims tofay in Minya and we offer our sincere condolences. We stand with the Egyptian government and people against terrorism." A statement by the European Union's Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations also denounced the attack. "Today's attack on a bus of Coptic Christian pilgrims in Minya, Egypt has again exacted a toll of civilian deaths and injured," the spokesperson said, adding that "the attack was a stark reminder of the security challenges that Egypt is facing." The EU spokesperson expressed "its condolences to the bereaved, and stands side by side with Egypt in its efforts to defeat terrorism in the country." Saudi Arabia also condemned the deadly attack, according to Saudi Press Agency. "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia strongly condemned the shooting incident that targeted a passenger bus in Minya governorate in the Arab Republic of Egypt and resulted in the death and injury of a number of innocent people," SPA reported quoting an official source at the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "The source reiterated the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's stand with Egypt against these terrorist acts, extending condolences to the families of the victims and to the government and people of Egypt, wishing the wounded a speedy recovery," the SPA said. The UAE also condemned the attack, calling it 'heinous'. ''The UAE stands in solidarity with the government and people of Egypt in confronting extremism and terrorism, which seek to undermine Egypt's stability and its national unity,'' Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said in a statement. King Abdullah II of Jordan extended his condolences to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah-El-Sisi for the victims of the attack, condemning "the coward attack and stressed his country's support to Egypt in its efforts to fight terrorism, and preserving its security and stability." Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah also expressed his condolences to Egypt's El-Sisi, according to the official Kuwaiti News Agency (KUNA). Al-Sabah expressed his country's "robust denunciation of this horrific terrorist act that targeted the innocent and aimed at jeopardizing Egypt's security and stability". Friday's terror attack, which killed at least seven Copts and injured 12 near the Monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor, is the first major attack on the Coptic minority, which makes up 10-15 percent of Egypt's 104 million population, since the deadly bombings of two Coptic churches on Palm Sunday in April 2017, and the deadly terror attack shortly after on a bus carrying pilgrims, also to the same Minya monastery, in May of 2017.
