A Christian Coptic Orthodox Monastery in Lower Egypt. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.0rg – In the latest round of violence directed against Christians in Egypt, a Coptic Christian man was found decapitated in the northern Sinai Peninsula.

According to AFP, the Christian man was found with his hands and feed bound and his head severed. A security official said that “extremist groups,” likely referring to Islamic extremists, had captured the man on Saturday, the same day another Coptic priest was killed.

That Coptic priest, Mina Aboud Sharween, was shot while walking in the early afternoon in the Sinai coastal city of El Arish. The Egypt Independent reported that the gunman was believed to belong to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Since the ouster of Islamist Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi last week, Coptic Christians have grown more fearful of reprisal attacks from Islamic extremists. Several prominent Coptic Christians played significant role in the calls for the removal of Morsi. Pope Tawadros II was part of the military’s announcement of Morsi’s removal last week, and has pledged his support for the transition government.

Lawlessness in the Sinai Peninsula has also been a major concern for Egyptian security forces and Israel. Several Islamic terrorist groups roam freely in the region that has been neglected for several years. Former Israeli officials have called on the government to consider amending the Military Annex of the Camp David peace accords to allow more Egyptian military assets into the region.