Security sources and eyewitnesses said that two brothers were killed early Monday in the effect of an armed break and entry to a local liquor store in Giza, Egypt.
The attack comes a few days after 10 Christians and a policeman were killed by gunmen targeting a South Cairo church last Friday.
Two armed men riding in a three-wheeled motorized rickshaw (tok-tok) shot the victims in the early hours of Monday morning, targeting the shop owner before they escaped toward the ring road, initial investigations revealed.
The victims were brothers, Ashraf and Adel, who owned a spare parts store adjacent to the liquor store where they were killed.
Reports say that the gunmen initially planned on targeting liquor shop owner Raouf but mistakenly killed the two brothers.
Security forces rushed to the site of the incident as soon as reports came in and took the testimony of several eyewitnesses.
A forensic team examined the site of the accident, collected evidence, and a number of the empty shells fired by the assailant. A sample of the victims' blood was also removed.
Prosecution ordered the autopsy and burial of the victims, requested a forensic report, and ordered the release of footage taped by surveillance cameras, while the Ministry of the Interior did not issue a statement on the attack.
Over the past few years, militants have carried out several attacks against Christian churches and gatherings in Egypt- who make up about 10 percent of the population- killing hundreds. Including the bombing of a church attached to the Cairo Cathedral in December 2016.
In March, the Alexandria Criminal Court sentenced a man convicted of manslaughter against a Christian man in his shop east of Alexandria.
Over the past few days, police have stepped up security around churches before Christmas celebrations and setting up gates to detect metal at the entrances of major churches.
On the other hand, the Egyptian Interior Ministry said that security forces over the past year have arrested of some 200 terrorists, some of whom have been radicalized and are affiliated with ISIS, others belong to the Muslim Brotherhood.
