Sun, 09/04/2017 – 21:59
President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi declared a three-month state of emergency on Sunday evening in the wake of two explosions at two Coptic churches in Tanta and Alexandria that morning.
He expressed his deep sadness at the day’s events and offered his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the attacks which left at least 48 dead and more than 100 injured.
These two attacks are an attempt to destroy Egyptians’ unity, Sisi said in his televised speech which was broadcast on state TV.
He then said that terrorism chases Egyptians whenever they achieve any success and called on the international community to hold countries that finance terrorism accountable.
He concluded by calling on Egyptians to stand strong against terrorism in order to combat this phenomenon.
Another explosion hits Alexandria church, police officer killed
Sun, 09/04/2017 – 13:12
An explosion took place near Saint Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria while Pope Tawadros II was inside the church giving a sermon for Palm Sunday, state-run Al-Ahram reported.
The Pope’s personal secretary, Samuel Metas, confirmed that the Pope is unharmed and is safe.
According to a statement from the Health Ministry, 16 people were killed and 41 have been injured, though these numbers are likely to rise as more reports come out.
Police forces closed off nearby streets, prominent Coptic journalist Nader Shokary told Egypt Independent.
According to Al-Ahram, several ambulances rushed to the scene to transfer the injured, and fatalities, to hospitals.
Sources told Egypt Independent that a police officer was killed while trying to prevent a suicide bomber from detonating his explosive device; however, the bomber did manage to detonate his device.
The Health Directorate in Alexandria confirmed that one police officer and two conscripts were killed trying to prevent a suicide bomber from storming Saint Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral. Security sources said forces deployed to secure the cathedral managed to block the terrorist from entering the church by tackling him before the bomber detonated his vest.
Explosives experts from the police force are now working on defusing a second improvised explosive device which was found around the cathedral, according to state TV.
A photo from the scene of the incident
Church bombing in Tanta kills at least 21
Sun, 09/04/2017 – 10:56
Egypt’s Health Ministry says a bomb exploded in a church north of Cairo that was packed with Palm Sunday worshippers, killing at least 21 people and wounding 38 others.
The attack took place on the Coptic Christian Palm Sunday, when the church in the Nile Delta town of Tanta was packed with worshippers. Ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed confirmed the toll from the attack in an interview with CBC TV. The state-run MENA news agency provided the same death toll and said 35 were wounded.
CBC TV showed footage from inside the church, where a large number of people gathered around what appeared to be lifeless, bloody bodies covered with papers. Magdi Awad, the head of the provincial ambulance service, confirmed the toll.
The attack in the Nile Delta town of Tanta was the latest in a series of assaults on Egypt’s Christian minority, which makes up around 10 percent of the population and has been repeatedly targeted by Islamic extremists. It comes just weeks before Pope Francis is due to visit Egypt.
No one immediately claimed the attack, which comes a week before Easter.
Christians make up around 10 percent of Egypt’s population and have repeatedly been targeted by Islamic extremists.
A local Islamic State affiliate claimed a suicide bombing at a church in Cairo in December that killed around 30 people, mostly women, as well as a string of killings in the restive Sinai Peninsula that caused hundreds of Christians to flee to safer areas of the country.
A militant group called Liwa al-Thawra claimed responsibility for an April 1 bomb attack targeting a police training center in Tanta, which wounded 16 people. The group, believed to be linked to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, has mainly targeted security forces and distanced itself from attacks on Christians.
Egypt has struggled to combat a wave of Islamic militancy since the 2013 military overthrow of an elected Islamist president.