As if Christians in Egypt do not live day to day under the threat of death already, The Associated Press reports that the leader of the Islamic State affiliate in Egypt has vowed to escalate attacks against Christians, urging Muslims to steer clear of Christian gatherings and western embassies as they are targets of their group’s militants.

Early May Pope Francis visited Egypt and spoke on the violence the area is experiencing. World Watch Monitor reports that Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, went to Cairo with a message of unity and peace. On his first day, speaking at an International Peace Conference held at the al-Azhar conference centre, he said that “violence is the denial of every true religion” and called on religious leaders to not hesitate to expose the violence and its perpetrators. The recent announcement made by Isis leadership is far from peaceful talks.

“Targeting the churches is part of our war on infidels,” the unidentified leader said in a lengthy interview published by the group’s al-Nabaa newsletter on Thursday. He also called on Muslims who don’t join jihadists to carry out lone wolf attacks across Egypt, and complained that a large number of Egyptians were antagonistic to his group’s call and mission.

The group claimed responsibility for twin suicide bombings that struck two of the country’s Coptic Christian churches last month, killing over 45 worshippers and prompting the president to declare a three-month state of emergency.

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