EL ARISH // Gunmen have shot dead a Christian man inside a barbershop in Egypt’s northern Sinai, security officials said on Sunday – the latest ISIL-claimed attack on a Christian in the turbulent region that is contested by a local affiliate of the extremist group.

The killing late on Saturday in the coastal city of El Arish came one day after ISIL warned it would escalate attacks against Christians. The group claimed responsibility for the attack on Sunday in a brief report released by its Amaq news agency.

Security officials identified the victim as Nabil Saber Ayoub.

The 50-year-old is at least the seventh Christian in northern Sinai to be killed by ISIL – or suspected ISIL – militants in recent months. The killings have forced hundreds of Christians to flee the region.

Since December, at least 75 other Christians have been killed in ISIL attacks targeting three churches, one in Cairo and two to the north of the Egyptian capital.

The group is currently spearheading an insurgency in northern Sinai, where security forces have been battling militants for years.

* Associated Press