4th LD-Writethru: At least 10 killed in attack outside Cairo church

CAIRO, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- At least ten people were killed in a shootout outside a church south of Cairo on Friday, state-media reported.

"The security forces frustrated an attack on Mar Mina Church in the Helwan district," said a statement from Egyptian Interior Ministry.

Egyptian Health Ministry said the ten killed include one attacker and one policeman, who are Muslims, and eight Copts with one of them a policeman.

The ministry added that at least five others were wounded, with two of them being in serious conditions.

Egyptian Interior Ministry said the other attacker fled the scene on a motorbike and was later arrested.

Bombs-disposal team has defused two bombs planted nearby the church.

TV footage showed one attacker wearing a bulky ammunition vest lying on a street.

The other attacker was later arrested carrying a bomb, 150 bullets and an automatic gun, the head of Cairo Security Directorate said.

In a statement, the attacked church said the eight dead Copts include five church visitors, one security man of the church and two owners of an appliance shop nearby the scene.

Eyewitnesses told Xinhua that the two masked militants on a motorcycle have entered the street leading to the western side of the church, and then they got off the ride and targeted the security post outside the church.

They added the exchange of fire took around 20 minutes.

The attack came in the run-up to Orthodox Christmas celebrations next week.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Islamic State group's affiliate in Egypt has killed dozens of Christians in church bombings and shootings over the past year.

Egypt's Coptic Christians, the largest religious minority in the region, make up about 10 percent of the country's 93 million people. Enditem