Four Gunmen Storm Iraqi Home to Kill Elderly Christian Couple

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi police are reporting a new attack on Christians in Baghdad by gunmen who broke into the home of an elderly couple and killed them.

It was the latest in a series of attacks on the country's Christian minority, which has been fleeing the country in droves since an Oct. 31 assault on a Catholic church that killed 68.

Al-Qaida's front group in Iraq has threatened Christians, saying the violence is retribution for Egypt's Coptic Church holding women captive for converting to Islam.

Police said four gunmen raided the home in a predominantly Shiite neighborhood Sunday evening and repeatedly shot the couple with silenced pistols before escaping. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media.