“The Terrorist Incident That Took Place Today Will Not Pass Unnoticed,” Says Egyptian President

As three buses were traveling to Saint Samuel the Confessor Church in Minya province in Egypt this past Friday, men in masks stopped them. Once stopped, the men pulled out guns and released a barrage of bullets into the vehicles, one of which was transporting children to the cathedral as part of a church organized trip.

Once they stopped firing, they boarded the buses. They shot the men immediately without question. They then asked all the women for their gold jewelry, and before leaving proceeded to shoot them and the children in the legs.

Immediately following the attacks, the Egyptian government set up checkpoints with police and military personnel to catch the attackers, but as of a day later they have yet to find them, and although there have been claims that one man recorded the attack, it has yet to be released.

Even though little is known about the attacks, it has been determined that the militants were from a camp in Derna, Libya which belongs to the militant group Majlis al-Shura. Hours after the attack occurred yesterday Egypt carried out an airstrike on these bases that had been a part of an ongoing investigation, which was finally granted the ‘OK’ when it was discovered that the attackers came from these camps. According to the spokesperson for Majlis al-Shura, they attacked a civilian area, not a militant training site, but there has yet to be confirmation.

This response, coming on the heels of President Trump’s first foreign trip as commander-in-chief, shows how the message President Trump was conveying has gotten through to other nations, as Egypt has shown a very strong anti-terrorism front in the hours since the attack.

Although the persecution of the Coptic Christians has almost been a constant since their formation some 2,000 years ago, in recent months it has gotten much worse.

Prior to the attack, there have been 70 deaths from the ISIS bombings of cathedrals which began back in December. In February and March, it had gotten so bad that many Christians decided to flee from the area in response to ISIS’ murder campaign.

Although the Coptics have been vocal in their support for Sisi who has vowed to destroy the Islamist Extremist presence in his country, many other of these supporters are also Skeptical, believing that they cannot be protected.

This extremism has reached a new level, not only attacking the Christians though, also conducting attacks on the local police and military presence. This extension of attacks was what led Pope Tawadros, the head of the Coptic church, to say that this attack “[was] not directed at the Copts, but at Egypt and the heart of the Egyptians.”

After this attack, the support from the outpouring of public support has been immense. The Grand Mufti of Egypt, the highest official of religious law in the Sunni Islamic faith, condemned the attackers as traitors. Ahmed al-Tayeb, who holds one of the most highly regarded roles in the Muslim faith as the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, has called on the people of Egypt “to unite in the face of this brutal terrorism.”

Not only is the support coming from high ranking officials, but it also has resonated with

the general public. At a funeral service held the night of the attack, many people blamed the government who in their minds failed to protect the Christians who perished. One of the mourners was even quoted saying “We will avenge them or die like them.”

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stated immediately after the attacks that they are not afraid to punish sponsored terrorism attacks that occur in the future. They hope that this most recent airstrike sends a message to other militant groups in the area.