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Egypt puts extraordinary security around churches

Egyptian authorities have put up a heavy security cordon around the main Coptic cathedral in Cairo hours before Christmas Eve Mass, using bomb-sniffing dogs, metal detectors and several officers to try to prevent another attack

Last updated: September 15, 2018 | 23:59

1 MIN READ

AFP

Cairo: Egyptian authorities have put up a heavy security cordon around the main Coptic cathedral in Cairo hours before Christmas Eve Mass, using bomb-sniffing dogs, metal detectors and several officers to try to prevent another attack like the New Year's suicide bombing of a church that killed 21 people.

Al Qaida in Iraq has been threatening Christians in Iraq and Egypt in the weeks leading up to the holidays and militant websites have even carried lists of churches in Egypt to target with their addresses.

Coptic Christians celebrate Christmas Thursday night and Friday.

Police were preventing cars from parking in the vicinity of churches around the country and planned to check identity cards carefully at all entrances and to prevent anyone from entering with bags.

Egyptian women wave posters of solidarity during a march at Al Azhar university to protest against the terrorist attack on a Coptic Christian church in the northern Egyptian city of Alexandria.

Workers set up a ceremonial tent ahead of Coptic Orthodox Christmas Mass in the main cathedral in Cairo January 5, 2011. Police were preventing cars from parking in the vicinity of churches around the country as part of hight security.

People express their anger as the bodies of several victims of a car bomb attack are carried into ambulances at the Coptic Orthodox church in Alexandria on Saturday. The car bombing killed 21 people as worshippers gathered to mark the New Year.

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