Release International

A dozen masked men gunned down five Christians as they came out of their church building in Sukkur in Sindh Province two months after a banned Islamic extremist group sent church leaders a threatening letter, relatives said.

Pastor Aaron John and church members Rohail Bhatti, Salman John, Abid Gill and Shamin Mall of Full Gospel Church were killed as they left the church building after meeting to discuss security in light of threats they had received, said the pastor's son, Shahid John.

'As we came out of the church, a group of a dozen armed gunmen came and opened fire at us,' said Shahid, who survived a bullet in his arm. Besides Shahid, five others were wounded in the attack.

In May church leaders received a letter from Islamic extremist group Sip-e-Sahaba (formerly Sipah-e-Sahaba until it was banned) warning the Christians to leave the area, said Kiran Rohail, wife of the slain Rohail Bhatti. Sip-e-Sahaba and Sunni Tehrik extremist groups are both linked with an area madrassa (Islamic school) whose students had been threatening the church since 2008, Christian sources said. They added that the manner of the attack on July 15 indicated that the gunmen had been trained.

Pastor John and Bhatti had reported the threats of the past two years to police, but officers at the local station did not take them seriously, relatives said. Police also declined to register a First Information Report when church leaders reported the threatening letter of May. An independent government source confirmed the shootings, adding that local Islamist pressure had prevented media from reporting on them.

(Source: Compass Direct)

• Ask God to comfort the families and community of the victims.
• Pray that the gunmen will be brought to justice.

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