South Africa: Three monks killed in a church attack

Three Egyptian Coptic monks were killed in an attack in a monastery on March 12 in South Africa, as the country struggles with a surge in gang criminality.

The three monks who belong to the Egypt-based Coptic Orthodox Church were killed in the Saint Mark the Apostle and Saint Samuel the Confessor Monastery

Police said that the monks were stabbed and that investigations are ongoing, AP reported.

The Coptic Orthodox Church of South Africa said the monks were the victims of “a criminal attack,” which resulted in their “martyrdom.”

South Africa has one of the highest criminality rates globally. Last year, the country reported an average of 75 killings and 400 robberies with aggravating circumstances every day, according to official statistics.