25 dead in Cairo church bombing
Attack on Coptic Christian service kills women and children who had gathered for morning prayers
CAIRO // Twenty- five people, mainly women and children, were killed in a blast at Egypt’s main Coptic Christian church yesterday. The bomb, which wounded 35, tore through the morning service at the Saint Peter and Saint Paul church.
Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El Sisi declared three days of national mourning as political and religious leaders around the world decried the bombing.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, led international condemnation of the attack.
“These cowardly terrorist acts will never undermine the resolve of the Egyptian people,” Sheikh Abdullah said.
The explosion shattered the church’s windows and scorched its marble pillars, scattering pews through the main prayer hall.
“I found bodies, many of them women, lying on the pews. It was a horrible scene,” said cathedral worker Attiya Mahrous. Mariam Shenouda, pounding her chest in grief, said: “I saw a headless woman being carried away. Everyone was in a state of shock.
“There were children. What have they done to deserve this? I wish I had died with them instead of seeing these scenes.”
Jackline Abdel Shahid said she was leaving the church when she heard the explosion.
“There was a lot of smoke and people started running and screaming,” she said. “The ambulances started coming and they kept bringing out body parts.
“The whole church was stained with blood, broken glass everywhere, everyone screaming, torn clothes.” Gebrail Ebeid, who was on his way to the service when the bombing took place, accused Egypt’s government of not doing enough to protect the Christian community.
“Where were the security forces?” Mr Ebeid asked. “They’re filling the streets now but it’s too late.”
The church is next to Saint Mark’s Cathedral, the seat of Coptic Pope Tawadros II. The bomb consisted of 12 kilograms of TNT, security officials said.
Later, several dozen people gathered outside the church to protest, chanting for the resignation of Egypt’s interior minister. The minister, Magdy Abdel Ghaffar, rushed to the area after the blast and prime minister Sherif Ismail called on security services to quickly find those responsible. “The nation’s Muslim and Christian citizens stand together against this black terrorism,” Mr Ismail said.
Mr El Sisi condemned what he described as “the abhorrent terrorist attack”.
“Egypt will only emerge stronger and more unified from these events,” he said.
Mr El Sisi also called Pope Tawadros to offer his condolences for the worst attack on Coptic Christians since a 2011 suicide bomber killed more than 20 worshippers outside a church in Alexandria.
Sheikh Ahmed Al Tayeb, the head of Al Azhar, the seat of Sunni Islam learning, said the “vile terrorist explosion” was “a great crime against all Egyptians”.
The bombed church “is deeply loved by many Coptic faithful in Cairo and it has a regular parish presence,” said Bishop Angaelos of the Coptic Church in Britain.
Bishop Angaelos said services had been held in the church on Sunday mornings while Saint Mark’s Cathedral was being renovated.
“It’s an easier target because its entrance is outside the precincts” of the cathedral.
The attack came two days after a bomb in Cairo killed six policemen, an assault claimed by a group that authorities said was linked to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
Copts have faced persecution and discrimination dating back to the 30- year rule of Hosni Mubarak, who was toppled by a popular uprising in 2011.
Dozens have been killed in recent years in sectarian attacks and clashes throughout Egypt.
In April 2013, two people died in clashes with residents outside Saint Mark’s Cathedral, the spiritual heart of the largest Christian minority in the Middle East.
Extremists in August 2013 attacked churches and homes of Copts in retaliation against security forces breaking up Cairo protest camps set up by supporters of Mohammed Morsi, who was deposed as president after vast protests against his short and divisive rule.
Enraged by the crackdown in which hundreds died, mobs lashed out at Copts in the Upper Egypt province of Minya, accusing them of backing the military. More than 40 churches were attacked nationwide, with most attacks in Minya and Assiut.