All churches in Egypt suspended any outdoor activities by instructions from the Ministry of Interior since Wednesday, Catholic Church spokesperson Rafeik Greish told Daily News Egypt on Saturday.
Greish added that the period of suspension was not specified by the ministry, but he speculated it would be until the end of July.
“The Catholic Church in particular did not receive any threats, but Egypt is all the time under threats of terrorism,” he added.
Local media reported on Thursday that the Ministry of Interior intensified security measures nearby churches.
In May, unidentified gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying Coptic citizens on their way from Beni Suef to Saint Samuel Monastery in El Adwa City, Minya.
The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for the attack, while Egyptian authorities responded by launching air strikes on supposed militant-affiliated camps, which they said had been involved in planning and executing attacks on Egyptian Copts.
The Minya onslaught added to a series of terrorist operations targeting Copts in Egyptian churches.
Furthermore, a church in Alexandria and one in Port Said were attacked on Palm Sunday in April by suicide bombers, killing over 40 Copts.
In December, St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church in Cairo were also bombed during Sunday prayers. All three attacks had been claimed by IS.
