The Egyptian presidency yesterday announced three days of mourning following an explosion in the vicinity of the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Abbasiya, east of Cairo, which killed 25 people and wounded dozens more.
Government spokesman Ashraf Sultan described the bombing as a “sinful aggression”, stressing that “such incidents will not affect the Egyptian people’s unity”.
Hundreds of Egyptians gathered amid tight security measures near the blast site, raising slogans to condemn the incident and demanding the arrest of the perpetrators.
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Meanwhile, protesters inside the church prevented a number of officials including Prime Minister Ismail Sharif and Interior Minister General Magdi Abdel Ghaffar from entering the church.
In a statement, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi said: “This treacherous terrorism targets the Copts and Muslims and Egypt will, as usual, become stronger and more coherent in the face of these circumstances.”
Al-Sisi has pledged retribution for victims of the explosion.
The incident comes two days after six security personnel were killed and three others were injured in an explosion in the Al-Haram district in Giza.
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