SIS CLAIMS ATTACK ON CHRISTIAN PILGRIMS IN EGYPT: The ISIS jihadist group on Friday 2 Nov. 2018 claimed an attack on three buses carrying Christian pilgrims on their way to a remote desert monastery south of the Egyptian capital of Cairo. Seven people were killed in the attack and three others were wounded, said the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Interior Ministry. The local ISIS affiliate, which calls itself Sinai Province, claimed responsibility for the attack. ISIS has repeatedly stated its intention to target Egypt's Christians as punishment for their support of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. Sisi wrote on his Twitter account that Friday's attack was designed to harm the "nation's solid fabric" and pledged to continue fighting terrorism. Christian sites of worship across Egypt have been repeatedly targeted in attacks claimed by ISIS, prompting the authorities to impose a state of emergency. Coptic Christians make up about 10% of Egypt's predominantly Sunni Muslim population and have been continuously targeted by jihadists in recent years. Friday's attack is the second to target pilgrims heading to St. Samuel the Confessor Monastery. The previous attack in May 2017 left nearly 30 people dead. The Interior Ministry said police were pursuing the attackers, who fled the scene after Friday’s assault. (Arutz-7)