Christian Family Murdered in Alexandria

Six-year-old among members of a family stabbed to death. Family is of Syrian origin.

Four members of a Christian family of Syrian origin living in Alexandria, Egypt, were stabbed to
death Monday. A man was seen walking out of their apartment holding a black plastic bag.

The father of the family, 44, who was employed in one of Sharm el-Sheikh's hotels, was found stabbed in the stomach, the chest and the shoulder. His 35-year-old wife was stabbed in the neck, and so was the husband's 43-year-old sister. Their six-year-old daughter was also found murdered.

The attackers started a fire in the kitchen, in an apparent attempt to set the entire apartment aflame and destroy evidence.

The large Christian community in Egypt, which numbers about 10 million people, has increasingly been coming under attack from Muslims in the last few years. Many Christians have been murdered and wounded, and over 100 churches, homes and businesses owned by Christians have been attacked, with some being burned down.

The Egyptian regime has blamed the Muslim Brotherhood and other radical Islamist forces for these attacks.