WEB DESK
At least 40 people were killed in two blasts targeting Coptic Christians on Palm Sunday in Egypt. Officials say, in Alexandria, an explosion outside St Mark’s Coptic church killed 13 people. Pope Tawadros II, head of the Coptic Church, had been attending Mass inside and was unhurt. An earlier blast at St George’s Coptic church in Tanta killed 27 people. Islamic State reported to have claimed responsibilty of the explosions.
The Interior Ministry said, four police officers, including one policewoman, were among those killed in Alexandria. The suicide bomber blew himself up after they stopped him from entering the church. The first explosion in Tanta, north of Cairo, took place near the altar.
Security forces later dismantled two explosive devices at the Sidi Abdel Rahim Mosque, also in Tanta.
The blasts appear to have been timed for maximum impact, as people gathered to mark Palm Sunday, one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar, marking the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem.
Egyptian security forces had been put on alert in anticipation of attacks. Pope Francis, who is due to visit Egypt later this month, has condemned the explosions.
President Donald Trump joined in the international condemnation of the church bombings in Egypt, and he says he is “so sad to hear of the terrorist attack” against the U.S. ally.
Trump says in a tweet Sunday that he has “great confidence” that Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, “will handle the situation properly.”
The Palm Sunday attacks on Coptic Orthodox churches in the Nile Delta city of Tanta and in Alexandria took place less than a week after Trump welcomed the Egyptian leader to the White House.
The two had reaffirmed their commitment to working together to fight radical groups such as the Islamic State group.
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