An Egyptian man claims to have found a shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile launcher lying in a heap of rubbish next to Cairo’s main international airport.

The man’s claim could not be verified but if the weapon is real, it would mark an alarming breach of security in a country that has seen two passengers planes explode in the last two years.

The find is potentially worrying for Britain, which closely monitors airport security across Egypt and is weighing whether to resume tourist flights to Sharm el-Sheikh after a Russian jet was blown up by an Islamic State (Isil) affiliate in 2015.

The discovery came as Isil released a new video threatening Egypt’s Christian population and describing them as the “favourite prey” of jihadists.

The Egyptian man, Ibrahim Yousry, said he found an SA-7 missile launcher on the side of the road around a mile north of Cairo International Airport as he headed to work.