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Tags: (BBC) — Nine people have been killed in two attacks on Coptic Christians in Helwan district, south of Cairo, Egypt’s interior ministry has said.
Six civilians and a policeman died when a gunman tried to storm a church but was intercepted and arrested, it said.
It said the man had previously attacked a Coptic-owned shop in the same area, killing two brothers.
The so-called Islamic State (IS) has claimed its “soldiers” carried out the church attack.
The interior ministry’s account differs from an earlier version of events given by Egypt’s health ministry.
The initial report said 12 were dead, and suggested there were two attackers. It said one had been killed, and the other fled but was later captured.
More than 100 Christians have been killed in Egypt in the past year, with most attacks claimed by the local branch of IS militants.
Security forces have reinforced checkpoints in place around the capital in response to the attacks.
They announced plans earlier this week to protect festivities around the New Year and, on 7 January, Coptic Christmas. They include the deployment of rapid-reaction forces, combat troops and jamming equipment.
According to the interior ministry statement, the first attack on Friday took place at a household appliances shop. Then the attacker headed to the Saint Mina Coptic church, where he attempted “to trespass the church’s perimeter security”.
“The security forces have dealt with the attacker and managed to arrest him after he was injured,” the ministry said.
But it said that seven people, including an auxiliary policeman, had been killed and four injured as the gunman opened fire at the church.
The attacker also had an explosive device, a machine gun and 150 rounds, it added.
The ministry suggested he was known to security services, saying he was “one of the most active terrorist elements and he carried out several terrorist attacks which resulted in the martyrdom of a number of policemen and civilians”.
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