A video went viral showing the stabbing of the security guard of the Two Saints Church in Alexandria, which took place on Saturday after security personnel prevented the perpetrator’s entry to the church.
The 24-year-old attacker, Adel A., used a bladed weapon that he had hidden in his clothing to stab the 47-year-old security officer in the neck, Alexandria Security Directorate sources said in a press statement.
Police are currently interrogating the assailant and determining the motives behind the attack, saying the young man did not have anything else harmful or illegal in his possession.
CCTV footage of the incident showed a man wearing earphones with a bag trying to enter the church when he was called back by a guard who asked to check the bag.
The man took out a knife and slashed the neck of the guard, who recovered quickly to subdue his assailant with the help of others.
The incident came days after Egypt’s Christian minority leaders said they were suspending activities such as conferences and religious trips for security reasons.
The Coptic churches’ decision came following nearly three months of deadly suicide bomb attacks that targeted churches in Tanta and Alexandria, killing 45 people.
The massacre was followed by another deadly attack on a bus carrying Copts en route to a monastery in the Minya desert, in which IS militants opened fire against them and killed more than 27 people.
The militant Islamic State group has killed dozens of Coptic Christians in church bombings and shooting attacks in Egypt since December, and have threatened further attacks.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
