A Muslim hardliner in his thirties was caught as he attempted to break into St. George church in Hammamat al-Qubba, Cairo . The man, who was not bearded and wore a shirt and trousers, angrily shouted Islamic slogans “There is no god but Allah” (La elah ela allah), “The nation of Muhammad will triumph”, and “I will uphold Islam”, as well as cheers denouncing Christianity and the Cross. He held a club in his hand, with which he began attempting to destroy whatever he could reach, and succeeded in breaking a lamp on the church gate before the guards, who had hastened to close the gate, caught him.
The police was informed; an armoured vehicle quickly arrived and arrested him. Investigations are ongoing to discover whether it was an individual act or if any terrorist cell or organisation was behind the attack.
Passers-by say that, on the other side of the street, there stood four other young men who cheered the assailant and egged him on, but the church pastor Fr. Girgis Habib said the CCTV cameras had captured only the attacker. The attack, Fr. Girgis said, was conducted Monday morning at a time when there was no service in church, so none of the congregation was there.
