Deadly attack on Mosque in Egypt leaves 235 dead

Gunmen opened fire and blew up a packed mosque in Egypt’s North Sinai province on Friday, as worshippers had gathered there to pray. Due to the attack, 235 people were killed making this one of the country’s deadliest attacks in recent history.

According to the details of the incident provided, the attack took place at Rawda mosque which is located roughly 40 kilometers west of the North Sinai capital of El-Arish. Several gunmen entered the mosque and opened fire on the worshippers before blowing off the mosque with a planted bomb.

Since the time of the militants’ insurgency during the past four years, this has been the deadliest attack in the country. State television reported that at least 235 people are dead and 120 are wounded as a result of the attack.

According to witnesses’ reports, several assailants had surrounded the mosque with all-terrain vehicles then planted a bomb outside. As panicked worshippers tried to flee from the mosque, the militants opened fire on them. They also used the worshippers’ vehicles to set them alight and block routes to the mosque.

The victims included civilians and conscripts praying at the mosque.

Egypt’s presidency declared three days of mourning, state television reported, as President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met his security ministers to follow developments.

Daesh’s Egypt branch is speculated to be behind this deadly attack. The group has killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers and also civilians accused of working with the authorities in the north of the Sinai province.

A tribal leader and head of a Bedouin militia that fights Daesh told reporters that the mosque is known as a place of gathering for Sufis.

The group has killed more than 100 Christians in church bombings and shootings in Sinai and other parts of Egypt, forcing many to flee the area.

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Posted by fatimaarshad on Nov 25 2017. Filed under Latest News, World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.