Release International

At least seven people were killed in southern Egypt when gunmen opened fire on churchgoers leaving a late-night service in Quena province.

The attack happened just after believers at St John's Church in Nag Hammadi had finished a midnight celebration marking the Coptic Christmas Eve on January 6. Gunmen fired randomly into the crowd from a moving vehicle, killing six Christians and a Muslim security guard. Up to ten other people were injured, three of them critically.

The church's bishop, Bishop Kirilos, told Agence France Presse (AFP) news agency that he had ended the Christmas Eve service earlier than usual, at 11pm, for security reasons.

Officials believe that the attack was intended as retaliation for the alleged rape of a young Muslim girl in nearby Farshoot, which triggered three days of anti-Christian violence in the area in late-November (Prayer Alert, December 1, 2009). Bishop Kirilos told AFP that some members of his congregation had had anonymous phone calls, threatening to 'avenge the rape of the girl during the Christmas celebrations'.

Compass Direct news agency reports that thousands of Coptic Christians demonstrated in the town on January 7, to protest about lack of protection from such attacks. About 5,000 Copts attended the funeral of the six Christians killed in the attack.

(Sources: Agence France Presse, Compass Direct, Middle East Concern, VOM Canada)

• Pray for the families of the seven people killed outside St John's Church.
• Ask God to help restore trust between Muslims and Copts in this troubled area.

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