Around 11pm on Tuesday 23 April, Islamic extremists set fire to several homes and shops owned by Coptic Orthodox Christians in a village in southern Egypt. As the flames grew, the extremists attempted to prevent Christians from leaving their burning homes.
The attack occurred after word spread that residents of the village, which is home to 3,000 Christian families, had obtained a permit to construct a church building. Some associated with the church received threats after the building permit was issued, prompting the local archbishop to alert authorities.
Despite promises of safety from security forces, the cries of help from the archbishop and the local Coptic community went unanswered as the attack unfolded. Security forces arrived only after the attack, leaving a yet unknown number of Christians to perish in their burning homes.
Extremists later shared a video on social media showing Coptic homes on fire as a song praising the attack played in the background.
Early Wednesday morning, the archbishop reported that authorities had contained the fire and arrested the suspects.
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