EGYPT: ISIL-LINKED GROUP CLAIMS EXECUTION OF COPT, 2 TRIBESMEN
April 26, 2021: An Islamic State-affiliated group has claimed the execution of a Coptic Christian and two tribesmen in Egypt’s restive Sinai region, in a video posted on its Telegram channel, Aljazeera reported on 19 April 2021. The Coptic Church, which makes up between 10 and 15 percent of Egypt’s 100 million population, on 18 April named the Christian killed as Nabil Habashi Salama. “The church affirms its steadfast support of the Egyptian state’s efforts in quelling hateful terror acts,” the Coptic Church’s spokesman said after the killing claimed by Sinai Province, an armed group loyal to ISIL (ISIS). The armed groups have drawn support from local Bedouins complaining of marginalisation, a charge the government denies. In a 13-minute video released by Sinai Province late on 17 April, the 62-year-old Salama, a Copt from Bir al-Abd in North Sinai, is seen being shot dead at point-blank range by a rebel flanked by two others carrying rifles. “As for you Christians of Egypt, this is the price you are paying for supporting the Egyptian army,” the man who executes the Copt says in the video. Two young Sinai tribesmen are also seen being killed in a barren, desert landscape, with the armed group members accusing them of fighting alongside the Egyptian military. (Source: Aljazeera, 19/04/2021)
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