Egypt
Martyrdom of Fr. Raphael Moussa
30 June 2016
Summary
On the morning of Thursday, 30 June 2016, Fr. Raphael Moussa, priest of St. George Church in El-Arish, was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen in El-Arish, North Sinai. The Egyptian Ministry of Interior and the Coptic Orthodox Church officially announced the news. The group "Ansar Beit al-Maqdis - Sinai Province" (ISIS affiliate) claimed responsibility, stating he was targeted with 9mm pistols and an automatic weapon. Fr. Raphael had been ordained in the same class as his friend Fr. Mina Aboud, who was martyred three years earlier in the same city.
Background
El-Arish and North Sinai witnessed an escalating wave of violence and systematic targeting of Christian clergy since 2011, carried out by extremist groups including "Ansar Beit al-Maqdis," which later became the "Sinai Province" of ISIS. Fr. Raphael Moussa was the priest of St. George Church, one of the main churches in El-Arish. His fellow ordained priest, Fr. Mina Aboud, was assassinated in the same manner in the same city in 2013.
Incident Details
He was martyred on his way back from the Divine Liturgy, specifically after leaving the church service at the Ataif El-Sadat area in El-Arish, when he was shot in the head and chest. His body was transferred to El-Arish General Hospital where it was kept at the morgue under the prosecution's authority, which inspected the body and ordered the arrest of the perpetrators and identification of the bullet type.
Timeline
10 January 1968
Raphael Moussa born in Faiyum Governorate
2012
Ordained priest by Bishop Qozman of North Sinai to serve St. George Church in El-Arish
6 July 2013
Assassination of his fellow ordained priest Fr. Mina Aboud Cherubim
30 June 2016
Martyred by unidentified gunmen at the Ataif El-Sadat area in El-Arish
30 June 2016
Ansar Beit al-Maqdis Sinai Province claimed responsibility for the assassination
Related Martyrs
Media Archive
Documentary videos, news coverage, and testimonies related to this event.
Related Events
Martyrs of the Church of Saint Peter
11 December 2016
During the Christmas Fast liturgy, a suicide bomber detonated himself inside the Church of Saint Peter (Anba Rouis Church) adjacent to the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Abbassia, Cairo, with an explosive vest weighing approximately 12 kilograms. The bombing killed 29 people, the majority of them women, and injured more than 31 others. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, which was the first to target this church in its history.
Saint George Church, Tanta, Palm Sunday Martyrs
9 April 2017
A suicide bomber detonated himself inside Mar Girgis (Saint George) Abu Naga Church in Tanta, Gharbia Governorate, during the Easter liturgy while the church was crowded with worshippers. The explosion killed 30 people and injured approximately 71 to 87 others. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, naming the perpetrator 'Abu Ishaq al-Masri.' A second bombing targeted the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria later that same day; the two attacks are collectively known as the 'Palm Sunday Bombings.'
The Martyrs of the Road to Saint Samuel the Confessor Monastery
26 May 2017
Vehicles carrying Coptic Christian families traveling to visit the Monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor in the Qalmon Mountains, west of Minya Governorate, were attacked in a terrorist assault. Approximately 28 to 29 people — including children, women, and men — were killed, and more than 24 others were injured. The Coptic Orthodox Church gave the martyrs of this day the title 'New Martyrs of Qalmon,' and an annual memorial is held on 26 May.