It said the attack was revenge for the imprisonment by Egyptian authorities of “our chaste sisters”. It also said the attack left 13 Christians killed and another 18 wounded, but it was not immediately possible to independently verify the claim. The Islamic State has repeatedly vowed to go after Egypt’s Christians as punishment for their support of president Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. Only pilgrims have been allowed on the main road leading to the monastery since last year’s attack. In Minya, the scene of Friday’s attack, Christians constitute the highest percentage of the population – about 35 percent – of any Egyptian province.

Source: The Guardian November 03, 2018 01:07 UTC