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by Tiziana Di Giovannandrea 05 January 2019 In Cairo a bomb squad died while trying to defuse a bomb identified by Egyptian security forces in the vicinity of the Church of the Virgin Mary and of Saint Macarius, in the Nasr City district to the east of the capital. Military sources have reported it to the media.

Two other bomb technicians would have been injured in the explosion. The attack falls on the eve of the participation of Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi at the Mass on January 6 for the Coptic Christmas which will inaugurate the Cathedral of the Birth of Christ, the largest Christian church in the Middle East.

The Interior Ministry stated that the bomb was hidden in a bag near the church and a mosque. The victim is Police Major Mostafa Ebeid. As for the number of wounded, some sources speak of one wounded, while others speak of two wounded among the Egyptian security forces.

About 10-15% of the Egyptian population is of Coptic religion.

The Coptic Church in Egypt is the largest Christian community in the Middle East and the celebration of Christmas will take place tomorrow and tomorrow.

On the occasion of the festivities, security measures have been strengthened to avoid attacks that have already occurred in places of Coptic worship in Egypt.

In April 2017 there was a double attack in Tanta and in Alexandria which caused 45 victims, including a terrorist. Another 29 people lost their lives in December 2017 in an attack on the Coptic church in Helwan, south of Cairo.