Eleven dead in Cairo church attack

An attack on a Coptic church on the outskirts of Egypt's capital Cairo has left at least 11 people dead, officials say.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for an attack on a Coptic church in a Cairo suburb in which 11 people were killed, the militant group's Amaq news agency said.

In the attack, a gunman fired at worshippers and Egyptian police stationed outside the church before he was wounded and arrested, the Egyptian Interior Ministry said.

Six worshippers and a policeman stationed outside a Coptic Orthodox church died when the motorcycle-mounted attacker opened fire outside a church in the working-class Cairo suburb of Helwan.

Prior to striking the church, the same assailant fatally shot two people at a nearby shop, the ministry confirmed.

The gunman was also killed, officials said.

Earlier reports by security sources and state media said at least two attackers were involved, and that one was shot dead and another fled the scene.

The interior ministry did not explain the reason for the different accounts.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but Islamist militants have claimed several attacks on Egypt's large Christian minority in recent years.

The Coptic Church said the gunman first shot at a Christian-owned shop 4KM away, killing two people, before proceeding to the Mar Mina church in Helwan.

The Interior Ministry said he opened fire at the entrance to the site and tried to throw an explosive device.

It said investigators had identified the gunman as Ibrahim Ismail Mostafa and that he had carried out several attacks since last year.

A Coptic Church statement said a joint funeral for six of those killed was to be held on Friday evening at the Virgin Mary church in Helwan.

Police have stepped up security measures around churches ahead of Coptic Christmas celebrations on January 7, deploying officers outside Christian places of worship.