Rabat – King Mohammed VI extended his condolences and expressed compassion to Egyptian President Abdelfattah Al-Sisi over the “abject terrorist attack” in the province of Minya on Friday.
In his message to the Egyptian President, King Mohammed VI offered his “sincere condolences and compassion,” to the victims’ families and the “brotherly Egyptian people.” His message continued, “imploring God to have the victims in His mercy and grant their families patience and solace.”
The Monarch reiterated the support of the Moroccan people with Egypt, condemning “cowardly” terrorist acts, which are “rejected by all religions and universal human values.”
The attack targeted a bus and pickup truck loaded with Coptic Christians on a pilgrimage to the St. Samuel Monastery. Gunmen approached the convoy in two vehicles. Ten men wearing military uniforms and masks opened fire, killing 29 people including children. A further 24 people were injured.
Friday’s attack was only the most recent in a series of violence attacks against Christians in Egypt. In April, at least 43 people died after two suicide bombings of Christian churches by ISIS militants. More than 130 people were injured.
Shortly after the Minya attack, the Egyptian air force released a statement announcing they had leveled several air strikes against suspected militant training camps in Lybia.
“The air force has conducted several intensive day and night-time strikes. They targeted several gatherings of terrorist elements within Lybian territory after coordinating and fully verifying all information.”
The strikes led to the destruction of the planned targets, which included concentrated areas for the training of terrorist elements that participated in the planning and implementation of the Minya attack,” it added.
Al-Sisi himself addressed the nation following the Minya attack, vowing that the Egyptian government would not hesitate to carry out further strikes against any armed groups planning violent incursions on Egyptian soil, regardless of whether the training camps involved were located inside Egyptian borders or beyond them.
