Egypt
Martyrdom of Fr. Mina Aboud Cherubim
6 July 2013
Summary
On the morning of Saturday, 6 July 2013, shortly after finishing the Divine Liturgy, Fr. Mina Aboud Cherubim, priest of St. Mina Church in Al-Masaeed, El-Arish, was fatally shot by masked gunmen who opened fire from a passing vehicle as he exited the church. He was martyred instantly in front of the church's annex building. The assassination came amid the aftermath of the ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi and a wave of security chaos and systematic targeting of Copts in North Sinai.
Background
Elements of "Ansar Beit al-Maqdis" (which later became the Sinai branch of ISIS) had been monitoring the movements of Copts in El-Arish with the aim of assassinating them, amid the security chaos that prevailed in North Sinai following the January 25 Revolution and the ouster of Mohamed Morsi. Fr. Mina (39 years old) was the priest of Al-Masaeed Church in El-Arish and was known for driving his personal car around the Al-Masaeed neighborhood for his daily needs, making him an easy target for surveillance and assassination.
Incident Details
On the morning of 6 July 2013, masked gunmen fired nine shots at Fr. Mina shortly after he finished the Divine Liturgy as he was leaving the church, killing him instantly. The gunmen fled in a vehicle after committing the crime.
Timeline
1974
Fr. Mina born as Salib Aboud Cherubim in Aswan
1994
Moved to Cairo and enrolled at the Faculty of Commerce, Ain Shams University
15 January 2000
Married Tasouni Mary Milad Iskander
3 March 2012
Ordained priest by Bishop Qirillous (Afa Mina) and Bishop Qozman to serve St. Mina Church in Al-Masaeed
6 July 2013
Martyred by masked gunmen in front of St. Mina Church after the Divine Liturgy
7 July 2013
Funeral held at the Church of the Archangel Michael in Shubra
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