Masked men gun down Coptic Christian in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula

Masked men have reportedly gunned down a Christian man in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Saturday in the latest attack targeting members of the Coptic community.

Egyptian security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the attack was carried out by three masked gunmen and the victim has been identified as 35-year-old Bassem Attallah.

No group has claimed responsibility for the shooting, which was said to bear the hallmarks of the Islamic State group, which has launched a years-long insurgency in the region.

The shooting came after two Egyptian Christians were killed by a gunman earlier this month as they celebrated the New Year at a liqour store.

Coptic Christians make up about 10 percent of Egypt's population of 93 million, according to The New Arab. There are about 10 to 15 million followers of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt, with another 18 to 25 million followers in other places. It is said to be the largest Christian minority in the Middle East, and its situation is often considered a bellwether for broader Christian prospects in the region.

Since December 2016, members of the terror group have killed more than 100 people in a series of deadly attacks targeting the country's Christian minority. Last month, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack that killed at least nine people at a Coptic church and a Christian-owned shop near Cairo.

In February, ISIS militants released a propaganda video vowing to "wipe out" Egypt's Copts and "liberate Cairo." A series of attacks that took place over the summer had prompted a Cairo priest to describe the murder of Copts as "the most aggressive campaign against them in the history of modern Egypt."

At least 49 people were killed in two church bombings during Easter celebrations, while 28 were killed in May when militants attacked people traveling to an Ascension Day service at a monastery in Upper Egypt.

According to persecution watchdog group Open Doors, as many as 128 Christians were killed in religiously motivated attacks in Egypt last year.

"Last year, 128 people were killed in Egypt simply for being Christian. For many more it is an act of quiet resistance to continue attending their churches – not to be scared into staying at home. The violent deaths hit the headlines, but the slow, suffocating discrimination and abuse Christians face every day goes unreported," said Lisa Pearce, CEO of Open Doors U.K. and Ireland.

Egypt has been ranked in the Open Doors 2018 World Watch List as the 17th most dangerous country for Christians.