Islamists bombed one of Cairo’s most prominent Orthodox churches St. Mark’s during Sunday service.
There were several children at the church service.
🔴Bomb attack at Coptic church in the central #Cairo kills 25 mostly women in #Egypt
📸 pic.twitter.com/EVcdWaS5jb— Mete SohtaoÄŸlu (@metesohtaoglu) December 11, 2016
Video was posted from inside the Cathedral after the deadly blast.
People broke through police lines to get to the church.
Dozens of angry people appear to have broken Thru police lines to reach door of church which was hit by bomb this morning.Bit Tense. #Cairo pic.twitter.com/prpcRkocp7
— Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 11, 2016
The Church serves as the seat of the Coptic Orthodox Pope.
Azbaijani News reported:
At least 24 people died and 35 more were injured in an explosion outside St. Mark`s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo, Ministry of Health spokesman told the Egyprian state TV.
The news website Sada El-Balad cited a source in the investigation team as saying an unknown attacker threw a bomb inside the cathedral during a prayer service.
​A dozen of ambulances have arrived at the scene of the explosion, the local news website Youm7 said. No armed group has reportedly claimed responsibility for it.
There has been no claim of responsibility yet.
Earlier reports cited Egypt`s Ministry of Health saying that five people died in the explosion and ten more were injured.
The cathedral in the Egyptian capital`s Abbassia district serves as the seat of the Coptic Orthodox Pope. Copts are a large ethnic and religious minority in Egypt.
Here’s video from outside the church:
Another picture of the protest prompted by this morning's attack against a church in #Cairo pic.twitter.com/l6YE5iSBVt
— Michael Horowitz (@michaelh992) December 11, 2016