CAIRO (Sputnik) — According to the ministry, the attacks were set to take place, in particular, during Eid al-Fitr holiday that marks the end of Ramadan.
Attacks on Egypt's Coptic Christians have become increasingly common since the toppling of the country's long-time leader Hosni Mubarak in 2011, prompting a mass exodus of Christians from some rural towns.
On May 26, gunmen attacked a bus of Christians heading for a monastery in Central Egypt, killing at least 29 worshipers, according to media reports.
Earlier, two suicide bombings at Palm Sunday services in April killed at least 46 people in the northern cities of Alexandria and Tanta.