Machine-gun attack kills churchgoers

Egypt's Interior Ministry said it suspected that Wednesday night's attack, just before midnight, was retaliation for rape in November of a Muslim girl by a Christian man in the same town.

It said said witnesses had identified the ringleader in the attack.

The killings took place in the town of Nag Hamadi in Qena province, about 40 miles from Luxor.

A local security official said seven people were dead and three seriously wounded.

Bishop Kirollos of the Nag Hamadi Diocese said six male churchgoers and one security guard were killed. He said he had left St John's Church minutes before the attack. "A driving car swerved near me, so I took the back door. By the time I shook hands with someone at the gate, I heard the mayhem, lots of machine gun shots," the bishop said.

The bishop said he was concerned about violence on the eve of Coptic Christmas because of previous threats following the rape of the girl in November.

He got a message on his mobile phone saying: "It is your turn."

Because of the threats, he said he ended his Christmas Mass an hour early.