One Christian was killed and three others were injured in an assault at a Coptic priest’s family home, said a statement by the Diocese of Minya, 240km south of Cairo.

“The family of two priests of Minya were subject to assault involving clubs and knives,” said the statement about the attack, which took place on Sunday evening (17 July) in the village of Tahna el-Gabal.

A 27-year-old man was killed in the assault “due to a stab to the heart”, while two more were seriously injured: the priest’s father and a brother of the second priest.

One suffered stab wounds to the face, while the other sustained a stab to his side. A third, a woman, suffered facial injuries.

Reports by mainstream Egyptian media said the incident was due to a “scuffle” involving Muslims and Christians.

This incident follows several others in recent weeks, including at least three attacks on Copts in Minya, which prompted the city’s diocese to describe Egypt as a country “diseased” with discrimination.

On 15 July, five homes belonging to Christians were torched in the village of Abu Yaakoub (Minya) after a rumour that Christians were trying to set up a home church. The attack was a copycat of two earlier attacks in June, one in a village off Alexandria, the other likewise in Minya.