Witnesses: Residents prevented much worse attack in Egypt

CAIRO – Witnesses to an attack outside a Coptic Christian church in Egypt that left nine people dead said it was residents and worshippers, not police, who kept the death toll from soaring even higher. One man in particular—a 53-year-old resident who pounced on the gunman as he was reloading his automatic rifle—likely saved dozens of lives.

Police initially were praised for their quick response to the attack Friday on the church and a nearby Coptic Christian-owned store, but witnesses told The Associated Press that the deadly assault lasted 20 minutes and it took another 10 minutes before police arrived and shot and wounded the assailant.

Worshippers slammed the church's iron gate closed to prevent the assailant from entering and killing more people, the witnesses said Sunday. They credited the brave actions of the man who jumped the gunman as he was reloading his AK-47 with preventing an even worse bloodbath.

The accounts painted a picture of Christian-Muslim unity in the face of danger as courageous residents pelted the assailant with rocks as he fled the church after the attack, occasionally pausing to fire warning shots from his automatic weapon.