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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has declared a three-month state of emergency after suicide bombers targeted two Coptic churches, killing at least 44 people and injuring dozens more in the run-up to Easter.
Key points:
- Under emergency law constitutional rights are suspended, police are given more power
- The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the deadly attacks
- Attacks on Coptic churches in Muslim-majority Egypt occur regularly
At least 27 people were killed and 78 injured in the first blast at a Coptic church in the Nile Delta town of Tanta, north of Cairo, Egypt's Health Ministry said.
The second blast, in front of a Christian church in Alexandria on the country's north coast, killed 17 and injured at least 48 others, the ministry added.
It said the Alexandria explosion was caused by a suicide bomber who tried to storm the entrance before being stopped by police.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for both attacks, saying two of its fighters wearing suicide vests carried out the attacks, and warned of more to come.
The assault is the latest on a religious minority increasingly targeted by Islamist militants, and presents a challenge to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has pledged to protect Coptic Christians as part of his campaign against extremism.
In a televised speech to the nation, Mr Sisi declared a three-month countrywide state of emergency, subject to parliamentary approval, and called for national unity and urged the media to refrain from coverage that could be harmful.
Under instated emergency law, constitutional rights are suspended, censorship is legalised and police are able to arrest and detain citizens indefinitely without charge.
Mr Sisi, a former army chief who came to power following a coup in 2013, also dispatched elite troops across the country to protect key installations and accused unidentified countries of fuelling instability.
"Egyptians have foiled plots and efforts by countries and fascist, terrorist organisations that tried to control Egypt," he declared.
Egypt had been under emergency law for decades until the 2011 revolution, which eventually led to the law becoming redundant as the country was placed under martial law following the 2013 coup.
Egyptian governments however have long been criticised for abusing the emergency law to persecute citizens, and activists are questioning Mr Sisi's motive in reinstating it given the impunity with which he currently maintains ruling the country.
Coptic Christians: Egypt's persecuted minority
The blasts on Palm Sunday were the latest in a series of assaults on Egypt's Christian minority, which makes up around 10 per cent of the population and has been repeatedly targeted by Islamic extremists.
Copts face regular attacks by Muslim neighbours, who burn their homes and churches in poor rural areas, usually in anger over an inter-faith romance or the construction of a church.
The latest attacks came just one week before Coptic Easter, and in the same month Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Egypt.
Pope Tawadros II, the leader of the Coptic church, was in the Alexandria cathedral at the time of the bombing but was unhurt, the Interior Ministry said.
"These acts will not harm the unity and cohesion of the people," Pope Tawadros II said after the attacks.
It was the single deadliest day for Christians in Egypt in decades, and the worst since a bombing at a Cairo cathedral in December killed around 30 people.
Pope Francis expressed his "deepest condolences" to all Egyptians and to the head of the Coptic Church during his Palm Sunday Mass before tens of thousands of people in St Peter's Square.
"I pray for the dead and the victims. May the Lord convert the hearts of people who sow terror, violence and death and even the hearts of those who produce and traffic in weapons," he said.
US President Donald Trump, a strong supporter of Mr Sisi who recently invited him to the White House, expressed his condolences on Twitter.
"So sad to hear of the terrorist attack in Egypt. U.S. strongly condemns. I have great confidence that President Al Sisi will handle situation properly," Mr Trump wrote.
CBC TV showed footage from inside the Tanta church, where a large number of people gathered around what appeared to be lifeless, bloody bodies covered with papers.
"There was blood all over the floor and body parts scattered," a woman who was inside the church at the time of the attack said.
"There was a huge explosion in the hall. Fire and smoke filled the room and the injuries were extremely severe," another woman, Vivian Fareeg, said.
"Where is the Government?" screamed Maged Saleh, who rushed to the church in Tanta where his mother escaped the carnage. "There is no Government!"
"After the explosion, everything became dark from the smoke," said Edmond Edward, attending Mass in Tanta with his brother, Emil, who suffered head wounds.
"There was a clear lapse in security, which must be tightened from now on to save lives," he said, adding that the blast appeared to be centred near the altar.
Egypt struggles to combat wave of Islamic militancy
Egypt has struggled to combat a wave of Islamic militancy since the 2013 military overthrow of elected Islamist president Mohammed Morsi.
A local Islamic State affiliate claimed responsibility for the December bombing in Cairo.
In February, Christian families and students fled Egypt's North Sinai province in droves after the Islamic State group began a spate of targeted killings there.
A militant group called Liwa al-Thawra claimed responsibility for an April 1 bomb attack targeting a police training centre 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.
AP/Reuters
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, eastern-churches, terrorism, egypt
First posted