ISIS claims responsibility for attack that left at least nine people dead in Egypt

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attacks that took place at a Coptic church and a Christian-owned shop near Cairo, Egypt on Friday.

At least nine people were killed after a gunman shot at the worshippers at the Mar Mina church in the southern Cairo suburb of Helwan, Reuters reported. According to Egypt's Interior Ministry, the assailant opened fire at the entrance to the site and tried to throw an explosive device.

Before the attack on the church, the gunman reportedly shot at a Christian-owned shop 4 kilometers (3 miles) away, killing two people.

Earlier reports have indicated that there were at least two attackers and that one was shot dead while the other fled the scene.

In addition to those killed, five people were wounded, including two women who were said to be in a serious condition. On Friday evening, a joint funeral was held for eight of the victims at the Virgin Mary church in Helwan.

The interior ministry said that security forces "immediately dealt with the (attacker) and arrested him after he was wounded," adding that "[l]egal measures have been taken."

Investigators noted that the gunman, identified as Ibrahim Isma'il Isma'il Moustafa, had carried out several attacks that resulted in the deaths of several army and police officers since last year.

A witness said he initially thought that the gunman was a plainclothes policeman assigned to guard the church, but he soon found out otherwise when the man opened fire at the church.

"His first victim was a policeman guarding the church. He shot him but did not instantly kill him," said Mustafa Mahmoud, who was a short distance away from the church when the incident occurred.

"A young man who rushed out from the church was killed right away. When a second policeman emerged, he shot him in the leg and he was dragged back inside the church by worshippers to keep him out of harm's way. Later, the terrorist finished off the first policemen with a few shots to the chest," he continued.

The witness noted that a Christian who owns a store that sells wood coffins was also shot dead. The store owner's wife was also killed when she stormed out of the church to check on him, Mahmoud said.

Mahmoud narrated that the gunman later went to look for the motorbike he rode to the site, but by that time, residents had hidden it to prevent the assailant from getting away.

"He still had ample chance to get away but seemed not to want to. He was either suicidal or deranged," Mahmoud said.

He recounted that he was among the dozens of men that pursued the gunman. He said that he almost hit the assailant with a rock, but the police wanted the suspect alive and fired shots in the air to disperse the mob.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack through the group's Aamaq news agency. The terror organization's local affiliate has been spearheading an insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula that has grown in sophistication and brutality in recent months.

Since December last year, more than 100 have been killed in a series of attacks specifically targeting Egypt's Coptic Christian minority.