The funeral service for those who died on 11 December in a bomb attack on a church adjoining the main Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, took place at the Church of the Virgin Mary and St Athanasius in Cairo.
Three men and a woman are reported to have been arrested in connection with the explosion, which occurred at 10am local time in a section of the Church of St Peter and St Paul that was reserved for women, and which also injured at least 41 people. Egyptian authorities are now describing it as a suicide bombing and said in a statement that the death toll is expected to rise.
Three days of mourning
Following the explosion, the Egyptian President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi declared three days of national mourning, stating: ‘Terrorism targets the country’s Copts and Muslims… Egypt will only be made stronger and more united in such circumstances.’ The Egyptian Grand Mufti Sheikh Shawky Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam, who also called for unity, said that ‘attacking churches whether by demolition, [or] bombing, killing those inside, or terrifying people is prohibited in Islamic Sharia’.
