People gather outside the St. George’s Church after a deadly suicide bombing, in the Nile Delta town of Tanta, Egypt, Sunday, April 9, 2017.

:: Security officials say a Christian man has been shot dead by suspected militants while inside a barber’s shop in Egypt’s turbulent northern Sinai.

The late Saturday killing in the coastal city of Al-Arish came one day after ISIS’s local affiliate warned it would escalate attacks against Christians.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media.

Ayoub is at least the seventh Christian in northern Sinai to be killed by suspected ISIS militants in recent months. The killings have forced hundreds of Christians to flee the region. At least 75 others have been killed in ISIS attacks targeting churches since December.

ISIS is currently spearheading an insurgency in northern Sinai, where security forces have been battling militants for years.