“The group -- which came directly from Friday prayers in the mosque next
door -- clashed with some young Christians, who prevented the Islamists
from storming the building,” the news agency reported.
The incident was
recorded on videotape and posted online by MidEast Christian News.
The Coptic Orthodox church is famous in Egypt for its alleged Marian
apparitions, which reportedly took place between 1968 and 1971, and were
witnessed by thousands of Egyptians.