Coptic father and son killed in ISIS stronghold in Egypt

A Coptic Christian father and his son were found dead on Wednesday in North Sinai, which is a known ISIS hotbed in Egypt.

Security officials identified the two victims as Saad Hana, 65, and his son Medhat, 45, Daily Star reported. Saad had been shot multiple times while his son was abducted then burned alive in El-Arish, North Sinai.

According to the Daily Mail, the bodies of the victims were discovered at dawn behind a school in El-Arish.

The killings came after ISIS released a video vowing to carry out more attacks against Coptic Christians in Egypt.

In the video, a narrator encouraged jihadis to kill and terrorize Christians, who were described as the "favorite prey" of ISIS.

The narrator explained that Christians are no longer "dhimmis," or non-Muslims who enjoy a certain degree of state protection. Instead, the terror group considers Christians as "infidels" who are helping the West against Muslim nations.

The video also featured a footage of Abu Abdallah al-Masri, who was identified as the suicide bomber who attacked the central Cairo church in December, which resulted in the deaths of 28 people, most of whom are women and children.

The narrator went on to say that the church bombing was "only the beginning." Masri claimed that Egypt will soon be free after ISIS "liberates" Cairo.

"Finally, to my brothers in captivity: Rejoice, you believers, do not falter or grieve. I swear to God we will very soon liberate Cairo and free you from captivity," he said. "We will come bearing explosives, I swear we will, so rejoice, you believers," he continued.

Prior to the release of the video, two Coptic Christians have been killed in El-Arish in less than a week.

On Feb. 12, a Coptic vet was gunned down by masked assailants on a motorbike. After four days, a Coptic teacher was shot in the head by two men, who were also riding on a motorbike, as he was walking on his way to work at El-Samran School.

Coptic Christians, who make up 10 percent of Egypt's population, are increasingly targeted by Islamic extremists in retaliation for their support of Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who overthrew President Mohamed Morsi in a 2013 coup.

Sissi had visited the seat of the Coptic Orthodox church in Cairo on major holidays in an attempt to show goodwill toward the Christian community. But Christians have complained that little has changed since he took office in 2014.

Christians in rural areas are frequently attacked by Muslim radicals over issues ranging from land disputes, church construction and renovation, or sexual affairs between members of Muslim and Christian communities.