CAIRO: Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church said a priest has been killed in a knife attack in a poor Cairo district, the latest deadly assault on members of the country's Christian minority.

The church said the attack took place Thursday and that the priest died later in hospital.

Security officials say the attacker struck the priest's head with a cleaver. They said he fled the scene but was later arrested. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

The motive was not immediately known.

Attacks on Egypt's Christians, who account for about 10 percent of the country's 94 million population, have surged in recent months, with a series of suicide bombings claimed by the extremist Islamic State group killing more than 100 since December.