Egypt church attack prompts fears of militant escalation

CAIRO — When a suicide bomber blew himself up in a Cairo church a week ago, it marked a bloody escalation by Egypt’s jihadist militants, raising fears that an insurgency which for years largely focused on fighting in the Sinai and killing policemen may now turn to unleash attacks on civilians in the country’s capital.

[...] the militants may use Christians in an attempt to inflame sectarian divisions in Muslim-majority Egypt, following the strategy of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

By targeting the minority community, the group may be betting it can sow chaos and undermine the government of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi while avoiding indiscriminate bombings that kill fellow Muslims and bring an even more furious public backlash.

Extremists linked to the Islamic State have been waging an insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula in brutal fighting with soldiers and security forces.