3 Dozen Dead, 100 Plus Wounded in Suicide Bomb Blasts at Coptic Christian Churches in Egypt

3 Dozen Dead, 100 Plus Wounded in Suicide Bomb Blasts at Coptic Christian Churches in Egypt

Islam, the religion of peace, is on a roll this Palm Sunday with the Islamic State taking credit for bomb blasts of Coptic Christian churches in Egypt as parishioners celebrated Palm Sunday.

The first Islamic terrorist attack occurred in St George’s Coptic Church in Tanta, north of Cairo in which 26 people were  killed and 100 plus wounded.

The second Islamic terrorist attach which occurred a few hours later occurred at St Mark’s Coptic Church in Alexandria where the casualties are 11 dead and 66 wounded.

The Sun co.uk

…Officials said the blast at St George’s church happened “in the front rows, near the altar, during the mass”.

Horrifying footage and images posted on social media appears to show the aftermath as crowds gathered around dead bodies and large blood stains on the pews and church walls.

The explosions come as Coptic worshippers gathered for the celebrations of Palm Sunday - the Sunday before Easter, which marks the start of Holy Week for Christians.

Provincial governor Ahmad Deif told state-run Nile TV channel: “Either a bomb was planted or someone blew himself up.”

A witness told the Reuters news agency: “There was a huge explosion in the hall. Fire and smoke filled the room and the injuries were extremely severe.

“I saw the intestines of those injured and legs severed entirely from their bodies”[…]

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Below are the latest live updates as reported by Ahram Online (H/t MFS The Other News):

15:20  Al-Ahram Arabic news website reports that Gharbiya governorate security chief Hossam El-Din Khalifa has been relieved of duty after the church attack in Tanta left dozens dead and injured on Sunday.

15:17 The health ministry updated the death toll in the attack on the Mar Gigis Church in Tanta to 27. The number of injured stands at 78.

This puts the combined death toll from the Tanta and Alexandria attacks at 45.

15:00 Death toll in Alexandria cathedral bombing reaches 18, Health Minister Ahmed Emad tells ON TV news channel.

14:50 The IS group claimed responsibility, through their social media affiliate accounts, for Sunday’s churches’ explosions in Egypt, which left at least 36 dead and dozens injured in both Nile Delta’s Tanta and the coastal city of Alexandria.

14:30 Egypt’s interior ministry has issued a statement about the Alexandria attack: they say a suicide bomber had planned to blow up himself using an explosive belt inside the church, but the security force assigned to protect the cathedral stopped him.

The interior ministry also said that Pope Tawadros was inside the cathedral leading the prayers in the Palm Sunday service, but that he was not harmed in the attack.

A police officer and a policewoman, as well a low-ranking police officer, were killed while preventing the suicide bomber from entering the cathedral, the ministry said[…]

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