Culture

Egyptians Denounce Slayings at Coptic Church

Four killed, including 8-year-old

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CAIRO -- A drive-by shooting outside a Coptic Christian church that left four people dead, including an 8-year-old girl, drew denunciations Monday from figures across Egypt's religious and political spectrum.

Gunmen on motorbikes opened fire Sunday night on wedding celebrants outside the church, which fronts a busy road in a rundown Cairo neighborhood. In addition to those killed, 19 people were wounded. Many were relatives of the bride and groom.

It was the latest in a grim pattern of attacks against the country's Coptic minority in the wake of the coup that toppled Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July. Some of Morsi's followers in the Muslim Brotherhood blamed Christians for instigating the enormous protests that preceded his ouster.