……..President declares state of mourning
……..Leaders condemn attack
Terror attack on the African continent has continued to gather momentum, as Egypt falls to yet another terrorist which left over 235 people dead.
An attack which occurred in a mosque in Al-Arish on Friday killed 235 people and injured at least 109, according to Egypt’s prosecutor general.
Agency report said that the attack was an explosion due to an improvised explosive device (IED), according to local media reports, and coincided with the weekly Friday prayers. Local media reported that unknown militants opened fire at civilians after the explosion. A state of emergency has reportedly been declared in North Sinai.
The attack which took place during Jum’ah (Friday prayers) also left hundreds injured
The attackers according to agency report, were said to have detonated a bomb and subsequently shooting at fleeing worshippers and ambulance workers at the Al Rawdah mosque in Bir al-Abed, west of the city of El Arish.
“They were shooting at people as they left the mosque. They were shooting at the ambulances too,” a local resident whose relatives were at the scene told Reuters.
It is considered one of the deadliest attacks in the region beset by Islamic State militants. The government has declared three days of mourning after a high level security meeting was held at the presidency.
The attack has received widespread global condemnation with Togolese leader Faure Gnassingbe and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, being the earliest to comment.
Militants have mostly targeted security forces in their attacks since bloodshed in the Sinai worsened after 2013 when Sisi, then an armed forces commander, led the overthrow of President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Meanwhile, Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi will meet with security officials to be briefed on the attack, as the ministry of Interior said it will open an investigation into the bombing.
The Egyptian presidency declared a state of mourning for three days after the attack.
State-run website EgyNews reported that some deaths have occurred, while injured individuals are being transferred to nearby hospitals.
Ambulance official Ahmed Al-Ansary told state television that ambulance vehicles were attacked while transporting injured individuals. He added that a final death count is yet to be finalised.
Egyptian president Abdul Fatteh Al-Sisi has vowed a ‘brutal response’ to an armed attack on a mosque in the country’s Sinai region
Bonny Amadi with agency report
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