Unknown attackers assaulted seven Copts on Tuesday as they were going to the al-Mahraq monastery in Assiut’s Qousiya City. The seven Copts sustained injuries on several parts of their bodies.
Anba Pakhomious, the monastery's head, said he ordered the building’s gate to be closed, fearing that the angry congregation inside, who were celebrating the Feast of Ascension, would go out in search of the assailants.
Local media reports said victims were taken to the Assiut University Hospital, about 380 km south of Cairo, amid tight security.
The incident sparked furor among Copts inside the monastery and in nearby districts, prompting them to chant angry slogans condemning what they called frequent assaults on them.
Since the January 25 uprising in 2011, Egypt has witnessed several incidents of sectarian violence. Construction of churches and conversions by Muslims and Christians to either faith are among the most common triggers.
The latest round occurred in Qalyubiya’s Khosous, where five people were killed in clashes outside an Islamic school. Hours later, two others were killed in fights in Cairo during the victims’ funeral.
