Egypt sacks security official over deadly Minya attack

By Gamal Abdel Moez

CAIRO (AA) - The Egyptian authorities have sacked a senior security official over last week’s deadly attack on a bus in central Egypt that left 29 Coptic Christians dead.

Last Friday, unidentified gunmen in three pick-up trucks opened fire on a bus carrying a group of Coptic Christians to the Monastery of St. Samuel in Minya province south of Cairo.

Late Sunday, Interior Minister Magdi Abdel-Ghaffar sacked Minya’s security chief, Faisal Dweidar, over the attack, a local security official told Anadolu Agency on Monday, requesting anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to media.

The Daesh terrorist group claimed responsibility for last week’s attack, which prompted the Egyptian military to carry out a series of airstrikes over the weekend against what were described as militant “training camps” in Libya’s eastern city of Derna.

In April, the Egyptian authorities declared a three-month state of emergency following a double attack on two churches in northern Egypt -- also claimed by Daesh -- that left 45 Coptic worshipers dead and scores more injured.