EGYPT: Palm Sunday Terrorist Attacks Target Coptic Church, 21 Dead, Over 50 Injured

21st Century Wire says…

As terrorist attacks are featuring in Europe, with the recent London and Stockholm “car” attacks, Egypt’s Christian community is targeted on Palm Sunday, leaving 21 dead and over 50 injured ina blast that tore through the Coptic Church in Tanta, in the Gharbia governorate of Egypt.

Explosion moment of #Tanta Church #Egypt pic.twitter.com/felKKushYy

— Moëz BHAR (@moezbhar) April 9, 2017

The following report from Haaretz:

“At least 21 people were killed and over 50 wounded in a bombing near a church in the northern Egyptian city of Tanta, according to Egyptian security sources. The blast occured as Coptic Christians were marking Palm Sunday.

The attack in the Nile Delta town was the latest in a series of assaults on Egypt’s Christian minority, which makes up around 10 percent of the population of 92 million and has been repeatedly targeted by Islamic extremists. It comes just weeks before Pope Francis is due to visit Egypt.

CBC showed footage from inside the church, where a large number of people gathered around what appeared to be lifeless, bloody bodies covered with papers.

#BREAKING: Death toll rises to 21 in Church bombing, north of #Cairo, Egypt — Health Ministry official. pic.twitter.com/tdWGFkWDCW

— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) April 9, 2017

A militant group called Liwa al-Thawra claimed responsibility for an April 1 bomb attack targeting a police training center 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.

In December, 25 were killed by a suicide bombing at Cairo’s main Coptic cathedral. ISIS later claimed responsibility for the blast.
Egypt has seen a spate of attacks since 2013, when the army deposed Egypt’s former Islamist President Mohammad Morsi, the country’s first democratically elected leader, following mass protests against his divisive rule.”

There is “unconfirmed” news of second blast coming in via various social media feeds: 

BREAKING: Reports of a second blast in #Egypt‘s Tanta, this time near a police training centre. Complex terror attack underway.

— Haidar Sumeri (@IraqiSecurity) April 9, 2017

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