On Friday, at least 7 Coptic Christians heading to the monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor in Egypt's Minya governorate were killed after unknown gunmen suddenly shot the bus transporting the group.
No further details of the attack had been released, but reports indicate that it is similar to the 2017 attack wherein 28 people were killed by Al-Qaeda's affiliate groups. At least 22 others were injured in the same attack. The attack took place a month after the Palm Sunday bombings in St. George's Church in Tanta and St. Mark's Cathedral in Alexandria.
Christians in the region are vulnerable to Islamist violence and several churches and individuals have been attacked throughout the recent months.
Minya is also the home to 21 Christians who were beheaded on a beach in Libya by Islamic State in 2015 after the ousting of President Muammar Gaddafi.
