7 killed in Egypt bus ambush, IS claims responsibility

At least seven people were killed and 16 others wounded after gunmen attacked a bus carrying a group of Coptic Christians in the south of Egypt's capital Cairo on Friday.

The incident occurred when the bus was moving near the Saint Samuel Coptic Christian monastery close to Minya city, located about 270 km south of the Cairo when the gunmen opened indiscriminate fire at the passengers, Al Jazeera reported.

Few hours after the ambush, the Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack, through its propaganda website, Amaq news agency. However, it did not furnish any evidence to back its claim.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi condemned the barbaric attack and vowed to crack down on terrorism and punish the perpetrators behind the incident.

The IS affiliate in Egypt has targeted the minority Egyptian Christians in church bombings and shootings repeatedly in the last few years and has threatened further attacks against them.

The dreaded terror group also claimed responsibility for the suicide bombings of two Coptic Christian churches in the cities of Tanta and Alexandria in April last year, which killed 45 people.

Coptic Christians make up 10 per cent of Egypt's total population.