‘Blow up the churches while they are celebrating Christmas’
January 05, 2011
A “Jihadi Encyclopedia for the Destruction of the Cross,” developed by al-Qaeda and widely circulated on the Internet, likely influenced the perpetrators of the New Year’s bombing of a Coptic Orthodox church in Alexandria, according to press reports.
“Blow up the churches while they are celebrating Christmas or any other time when the churches are packed,” the document advised.
The document offered step-by-step instructions for building a bomb and included the addresses of Christian churches, including the one targeted in the attack.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Coptic Christians took part in a peaceful protest near the church on January 4. As they did so, they chanted, “With my blood and my soul I will defend the cross.”
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Further information:
- Amid massive security, Egypt's Christians protest peacefully (CNN)
- Anti-Christian drumbeat loud before Egypt attack (AP)
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