On Sunday Islamists bombed one of Cairo’s most prominent Orthodox churches St. Mark’s during Sunday service.
–25 people were killed.
The Church serves as the seat of the Coptic Orthodox Pope.
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 Sohtaoğlu (@metesohtaoglu) December 11, 2016
Video of the bomb blast was later posted online.
The Islamic State took credit for the suicide blast that killed Christian men, women and children.
Reuters reported:
Islamic State claimed responsibility on Tuesday for a suicide bombing at Cairo’s main Coptic cathedral on Sunday that killed at least 25 people.
The militant group said in a statement carried by its news agency Amaq that a suicide bomber whom it identified as Abu Abdallah al-Masri had detonated his explosive belt inside the church.
“Every infidel and apostate in Egypt and everywhere should know that our war … continues,” it said.
The Interior Ministry identified the bomber on Monday as 22-year-old student Mahmoud Shafik Mohammed Mostafa, and said he was a supporter of the banned Muslim Brotherhood political movement who had joined a militant cell while on the run from police.