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A look at extremist attacks on Egypt’s Coptic Christians

This image released by the Minya governorate media office shows blood after gunmen stormed a bus in Minya, Egypt, Friday, May 26, 2017. Egyptian officials say dozens of people were killed and wounded in an attack by masked militants on a bus carrying Coptic Christians, including children, south of Cairo. (Minya Governorate Media office via AP) This image released by the Minya governorate media office shows blood after gunmen stormed a bus in Minya, Egypt, Friday, May 26, 2017. Egyptian officials say dozens of people were killed and wounded in an attack by masked militants on a bus carrying Coptic Christians, including children, south of Cairo. (Minya Governorate Media office via AP)

By Associated Press May 26, 2017 3 min read

An attack Friday on Egypt’s Coptic Christians in which masked militants opened fire on a bus south of Cairo, killing at least 28 people and wounding 22, sent shockwaves through the Copt community, increasingly targeted by the Islamic State group and affiliated militants.

The Copts have long been a prime target of extremists: They were hit in a massive church bombing just weeks before the country’s 2011 Arab Spring uprising, and Islamic militants gave them a particular focus during a crackdown in the 1990s. But the past six months have been particularly bloody.

Here is a look at major attacks against Egypt’s Coptic Christians in recent years:

May 26:

Masked militants riding in three SUVs open fire on a bus packed with Coptic Christians, including children, south of the capital Cairo, killing at least 28 people and wounding 22.