Suicide bombing thwarted near church in Egypt

CAIRO — A man wearing an explosives belt tried to attack a Coptic Christian church north of Cairo but failed to enter before blowing himself up, Egyptian security officials said Saturday.

The man tried to enter the church in Mostorod district in Qaliubiya province with churchgoers but heightened security around the church prevented him from approaching, the officials said.

Local media reported that he detonated the explosives about 275 yards from the church, killing himself. No other fatalities were reported.

Mostorod is located some 7.2 miles north of Cairo. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attempted attack.

Egypt’s Christians account for about 10 percent of the country’s predominantly Muslim population.

They have been targeted by Islamic militants since December 2016 in a series of attacks that have left more than 100 dead and scores wounded.

Egypt has been under a state of emergency since bombings and suicide attacks targeting minority Coptic Christians killed scores in 2017. The extremist Islamic State claimed those attacks.

The government has been struggling to contain an insurgency by Islamic militants led by an affiliate of the Islamic State in the northern region of the Sinai Peninsula, but attacks on the mainland have also occurred.

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