Gunmen killed at least five people including three policemen in an attack on a Coptic Christian church south of Cairo’s Helwan district on Friday, medical and security sources said. The two attackers opened fire at the entrance to the church of Mar Mina, which was being guarded by police in the run-up to Orthodox Christmas celebrations next week, security sources said.

One attacker was shot dead by security forces, the sources and the state-run news agency MENA reported. State television said the second had been captured. A video circulated on social media after the attack apparently shows the gunman lying on the ground.

The Health Ministry said that nine people had been killed in addition to the gunman, and five wounded, including two women in serious condition. Local media said the dead attacker had been wearing an explosive belt, and that two other bombs had been defused near the church.

Extremists have claimed several attacks on Egypt's Christian minority in recent years, including two bomb attacks on Palm Sunday in April and a blast at Cairo's largest Coptic cathedral last December.

Police have stepped up security measures around churches ahead of the Coptic Christmas celebrations on Jan. 7, deploying officers outside Christian places of worship and setting up metal detectors at some of the bigger churches.

The two militants got off a motorbike and approached a security booth guarding the church, opening fire on security personnel, killing a policeman and injuring another officer, a security source told Egypt Today. Ten ambulances headed to the scene of the accident, transferred the injured and the dead to Helwan General Hospital, Al-Nasr Hospital and the Military Production Hospital. 

The attempt attack was thwarted amid high security measures implemented nationwide by the Ministry of Interior ahead of Christmas celebrations in Egypt. All security service departments had made the necessary arrangements to make Christmas celebrations safe and joyous for all Egyptians, the source stated. 

The ministry confirmed the importance of intensifying the presence of security forces around public areas and places of worship to be able to deal immediately and decisively with any attempt to disturb the holiday celebrations of Egypt's citizens. 

According to the security plans, security forces will apply 800-meter “safe areas” around churches and provide explosive detection devices to counter any attempts to target places of worship, the source added. 

Security forces will implement security procedures for all 2,326 churches in Egypt, including all 1,326 Orthodox churches, 1,100 Protestant churches and 200 Catholic churches.