One dead as gunman opens fire on train in Egypt

A GUNMAN boarded a train in southern Egypt and opened fire yesterday, killing a 71-year-old Christian man and wounding five other people.

The attack could spark a new wave of Christian rioting in a community traumatised by the death of more than 20 people in a church attack at New Year.

Three days of rioting were sparked by Christians angry at a suicide attack on a church in Alexandria. Worshippers were killed as they left Mass.

President Hosni Mubarak has repeatedly said that the government will do its utmost to protect Egypt's Christians and has accused foreign groups of being behind the church attack.

Officials said the gunman yesterday boarded a Cairo-bound train in Samalout in Egypt's central Minya province and opened fire. The train originated in Assiut, home to a substantial Christian community. Police arrested the gunman as he tried to flee.

The attack comes as Egypt bristled at international expressions of concern over the safety of its Christian population, including comments by the Pope.