No group has yet claimed the attackAt least 235 people were killed in a bomb-and-gun assault on the Al-Rawda mosque in the town of Bir Al-Abed, in Egypt’s north Sinai. This is one of the deadliest attacks in the country in recent times.
According to The Guardian, this attack “marks a major escalation in Cairo’s battle with regional insurgents.” The death toll rose on Friday afternoon from around 150 to 230, as more details emerged.
A military source also told The Guardian a bomb was thrown into the mosque as Friday prayers were finishing, “and then militants in four off-road vehicles approached and opened fire on worshippers.”
Ambulances ferried casualties from the mosque to nearby hospitals, as well as at least 130 injured.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the assault but for the past three years, Egyptian security forces have continuously battled the Islamic State insurgency.
The Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, offered condolences to the families of victims: “this act will only increase our will and unity,” he said. “The police and military will avenge our martyrs and restore peace and security.”
