South African police on Wednesday arrested a suspect in connection to the murder in a
church of three Egyptian Coptic Orthodox monks. The motive for Tuesday’s fatal stabbings
remains unclear.

“The 35-year-old man is expected to appear before Cullinan Magistrates’ Court on 14 March
2024,” the South African Police Service (SAPS) said in a statement.

The monks were murdered on Tuesday at Cullinan, 50 kilometres (30 miles) northeast of
Pretoria, SAPS stated. “Three victims were found with stab wounds while the fourth victim
that survived alleged that he was hit by an iron rod on his hand before fleeing and hiding in
one of the rooms.”

Egypt’s foreign affairs ministry expressed it was “closely following the investigations into the
killing of three Egyptian monks”, along with the country’s embassy in Pretoria. The Egyptian
ambassador hopes the investigation leads to “uncovering the circumstances of the incident,
the identity of the perpetrators, and holding them accountable”.

The Coptic Orthodox Church of South Africa conveyed “deep anguish over the occurrence of
such a tragic incident” on Facebook. The church and Egypt’s foreign ministry extended
condolences to the families of the monks, identified as Hegumen Takla El-Samuely, Yostos
Ava Markos and Mina Ava Markos.

According to police statements, the suspect or suspects left the scene without taking
anything. This suggests the motive was not robbery.

South Africa has grappled with high levels of violent crime, and in recent months, places of
worship have been targeted. The incidents are often documented on social media platforms.
The nation recorded nearly 84 murders per day in the latest quarterly crime statistics.

Based on the church’s website data, the Coptic Orthodox community in South Africa consists
of around 4,500 families in a country of 62 million people. The tragic killings have shaken
this minority religious group.