Thirty Coptic Christians were killed and dozens more injured in the governorate of Al-Minya when terrorists opened fire on a bus and second vehicle on the road to the Monastery of St Samuel the Confessor. The bus passengers, from Beni Sweif, were on pilgrimage to the monastery. The second vehicle was carrying workers. The Interior Ministry issued a statement that unknown assailants in three four-wheel drive vehicles “opened random fire” at the bus carrying Coptic citizens. According to the statement a security cordon was imposed around the site of the attack. Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the atrocity. Amm Bushra, a 45 year-old bus driver, was hit by four bullets during the attack. He is now receiving medical treatment at the Nasser Institute Hospital in Cairo. “Our bus was intercepted by a four-wheel drive car. Six masked men wearing military uniforms stepped out of the car and started to fire machine guns at the bus,” Bushra told Al-Ahram Weekly. “Two of them then boarded the bus and began to shoot any men still alive. Already hit by four bullets, three in my legs and one in my chest, I pretended to be dead so as not to be shot again. “They demanded the women who had survived give them whatever jewellery they were wearing and their mobile phones.” Mariam Adel lost six relatives in the attack, her husband, mother, sister, uncle, cousin and brother-in-law. “The attack lasted 45 minutes without any intervention from security forces,” said Adel who is being treated at the same hospital. “While the militants were taking our jewellery, a vehicle carrying Christian workers passed along the same road. The gunmen stopped it and killed them all. The six gunmen spoke Arabic with an Egyptian accent and except for one they all wore masks. From the look of the unmasked one, and the parts of the faces that the others left uncovered, I'd say they were between 25 and 30,” said Adel. Adel says she could identify three of the gunmen from photos of the suspects shown to her by the police. “From where did the police get their photos? And why didn't they arrest them earlier as long as they are known terrorists? Why wait for an attack like this happen before chasing them? ” asks Adel. Seham lost her husband during the attack. “Because there is no mobile coverage on the road [linking the highway to the monastery] I flagged down a car after the attack to take me somewhere where I could call the police. When I did, they said ‘you are making a false report' and threatened to summon me,” she said. “Family members reached the scene before the police and ambulances.” Victims' families say they are unhappy with the response of security forces at a time when Copts have repeatedly come under attack. “Where are the government and the Interior Ministry? Why don't they secure their citizens?” asked a relative of one victim. Friday's attack is among the deadliest in decades. On 9 April – Palm Sunday – suicide bombers targeted St George's Church in Tanta and St Mark's Cathedral in Alexandria leaving 46 dead. IS claimed responsibility. In response President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi imposed a nationwide three-month state of emergency. In a video released in February — two months after an attack on worshippers at the Coptic Cathedral in Cairo's Abbasiya which left 29 dead — IS had threatened to target Copts across Egypt. Following the release of the video attacks against Copts rose. In North Sinai seven Christians were murdered in three weeks, two of them burned to death. The violence led to 258 Coptic families fleeing their homes in Arish. Gamal Sultan, an expert on Islamist groups, says IS has two goals in targeting Copts. “It is seeking to portray the Egyptian regime as unable to protect minorities and Egypt as an unstable country where the security forces cannot defend even fortified locations thus undermining any revival of tourism and attempts to improve the economy. Its second goal is to punish Christians for supporting the 30 June Revolution and the current regime.” Major General Mohamed Nour, a former Assistant Interior Minister, believes there is a third goal. “Terrorists target Christians in Egypt in an attempt to foment sectarian strife. They believe that they can do in Egypt what they have done in Syria and Iraq ,” he says. In a statement issued on Friday afternoon the Coptic Orthodox Church said it was suffering “with the whole nation over the violence and evil that targets the heart of Egypt and our national unity”. “While we appreciate the speedy response of officials in dealing with events we hope all necessary action is taken to avoid further attacks which damage Egypt's image and cause Egyptians much pain,” the statement added. Following the attack Al-Sisi called a National Security Council meeting and ordered airstrikes on militant camps in the eastern Libyan town of Derna. “The strikes led to the destruction of targets which included areas for the training of terrorists involved in the planning and implementation of the Minya attack,” said a military spokesman. In a speech on Friday night Al-Sisi said Egypt would not hesitate to carry out further strikes against camps, inside or outside the country, training people to carry out operations targeting Egypt. Two years ago Egypt launched airstrikes against targets in Derna after IS militants kidnapped and killed 21 Coptic workers in Libya. State-owned news agency MENA reported Social Solidarity Minister Ghada Wali had announced compensation to the families of the victims. Families of those who were killed in the attack will receive LE100,000 while any injured hospitalised for more than 72 hours will receive LE40,000.
