Gunmen attacked a Coptic Christian church near Cairo on Friday, killing at least nine people, Reuters reports. The two attackers opened fire near the entrance to the church, which was guarded by Egyptian police officers ahead of the Orthodox Christmas celebrations next week. At least three police are among the dead, reports indicate. State television said one attacker was killed by security forces and a second was captured. Islamist militants have claimed responsibility for multiple attacks on Egypt’s large Christian minority in recent years.
