Gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying Coptic Christians traveling just south of Cairo Friday, killing 24 and injuring 25, Egyptian state TV reported.

The ministry said there were between eight and 10 attackers dressed in military uniforms, according to witnesses.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. But Egypt’s Coptic Christians have become the preferred target of the Islamic State group.

The attack came on the eve of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Cairo issued a security message, stating that it was aware of a potential threat posted on a website by the Hassm Group, a known terrorist organization, suggesting some kind of unspecified action that evening.

Egypt has been fighting Islamic State group-linked militants who have waged an insurgency, mainly focused in the volatile north of the Sinai Peninsula but there have been also attacks on the mainland.

Egypt has seen a wave of attacks on its Christians, including twin suicide bombings in April and another attack in December on a Cairo church that left over 75 people dead and scores wounded. The Islamic State group in Egypt claimed responsibility for them and vowed more attacks.

In February, an Islamic State affiliate released a video saying that Egyptian Christians were their "favorite prey." The video showed images of a suicide bomber who killed nearly 30 people inside a packed Cairo church in December.

"God gave orders to kill every infidel," one of the militants carrying an AK-47 assault rifle says in the 20-minute video.

Friday's attack attack happened while the bus was traveling on the road to the St. Samuel Monastery in the Minya governorate, about 220 kilometers (140 miles) south of Cairo, the health ministry said.

Late last month Pope Francis visited Egypt in part to show his support for the Christians of this Muslim majority Arab nation who have been increasingly targeted by Islamic militants.

Egypt's Copts, the Middle East's largest Christian community, have repeatedly complained of suffering discrimination, as well as outright attacks, at hands of the country's majority Muslim population.

Over the past decades, Coptics have rallied behind general-turned-president, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, in 2013 when he ousted his Islamist predecessor Mohammed Morsi, who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood group. Attacks on Christian homes, businesses and churches subsequently surged, especially in the country's south.

I guess the moo-slims didn't get message that we should all just coexist and love each other.

Need another Crusade.

You couldn't pay me to leave the country right now.

They should have had Katy Perry driving the bus, she could have blown them kisses.

No Timber, We need to send Katy over as an Ambassador to Peace.
People like her are the type of people they attack. Mindless, unarmed and brain dead to danger.

Well, the religion of PEACE strikes again. I guess it's payback for the crusades. That gets me thinking. I need to pay my old classmate a visit for stealing my pencil in 1st grade back in '75. Those Coptic Christians really are taking a pounding for their faith. Their faith is the TRUE "religion" of peace.

Why aren't those Christians being offered asylum here? Screw a bunch of Muslims. I fear only more of the same until the world as whole turns on Islam. The religion of peace my azz!

The free world should declare war on Islam. Period. Kill every damn one of them, demolish all mosques and burn every Kuran in existence.

My pastor went on a mission trip over there in the early spring with some other pastors from the Bham area. It was not a publicized trip for obvious security reasons. The pictures he showed us were unreal. Worshiping in caves in a trash dump. Literally thousands of people. It was eye opening.

About 6 weeks ago one of their pastors came and spoke at our church. We couldn't take photos or do any social media and he used an alias to prevent any images from getting back to the muslims. He talked about the Arab Spring and how all Christians are united over there regardless of denomination.

What hit me like a ton of bricks was when he said they felt like they were living out the Bible because Jesus said if you follow him you will be persecuted. Then he proceeded to ask us not to pray for their persecution to end, but for perseverance for them to endure it. Very powerful stuff. Makes you really examine where you are at in your walk!

The good news is that he said muslims by the thousands were being converted to Christianity weekly.

Hope on the horizon.

And no other news station carried this. Wonder why!

I like what Wiley says should be done.. the sooner the better, I'm no bleeding heart,, wipe em out,, even the so called moderate ones they want us dead ,,their just waiting for their time ,,if they get your hands tied behind your back,,, their going to slice your head off. I've seen video's of the ISIS beheadings,, Iraqi soldiers and spies and others,,, it ain't pretty.