Gunmen Open Fire, Kill 12 in Village

Four gunmen opened fire on people walking along a dirt road and killed at least 12 of them, security officials said. Islamic militants were suspected in the massacre. The assailants emerged from a sugar cane plantation in the village of Nag Dawoud, about 300 miles south of Cairo, officials said. They began shooting randomly in the mostly Christian village and then fled, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. About 1,070 people have been killed since Muslim militants began a violent campaign in spring 1992 to oust the secular government.