Several unidentified gunmen unleashed a wave of bullets in front of an evangelical church in a Cairo suburb, killing the church pastor’s niece, 10, and injuring several other Christian Coptics.
The body of the girl, Jessi Paulis Issa, was taken from the scene by a Cairo forensics team, the Christian Post reported. She was gunned down while exiting her Sunday school class, the paper said. The newspaper just reported the incident on Wednesday.
Authorities haven’t determined who’s to blame — but at least one witness said the gunmen were supporters of Mohammed Morsi, the ousted Egyptian president.
“Bearded men belonging to Morsi’s supporters opened fire on the citizens as they were exiting from the church,” a witness said, the Christian Post reported. “They fled the scene in a pickup truck.”
Pastor Nasrallah Zakaria said funeral prayers for his niece are set for this week’s church service, following the autopsy. He also said in the newspaper that he can’t fathom why Copts are being targeted in Egypt and asked that the government put a stop to the violence, which he said includes daily threats.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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