235 killed in #Egypt mosque attack, over 100 injured

At least 235 people were killed and scores injured in a bomb and gun attack on a packed mosque in Egypt during Friday prayers. It is being seen as the deadliest attack in the country in recent memory.

The state media reported that attackers detonated a bomb and around 40 gunmen set up positions outside the Al Rawdah mosque in north Sinai and opened fire from different directions as people tried to escape.

“Four groups of armed men attacked the worshippers inside the mosque after Friday noon prayers. Two groups were firing at ambulances to deter them,” a witness named Mohamed was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Between ten and 20 armed attackers “entered the mosque, killing more people than they injured,” said Magdy Rizk, who was wounded in the attack, according to a report in The Times of India that quoted AFP. “They were wearing masks and military uniforms,” he said, pointing out that the area was dominated by the Sufi and locals had received threats from extremist groups.

A three-day period of mourning has been declared for the victims. The Egyptian military reportedly launched air strikes on targets in mountainous areas around Bir al-Abed in the wake of the attack, for which no group has claimed responsibility yet.

Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi – who is strongly opposed to Islamist militancy – convened an emergency meeting with the defence and interior minister and chief of intelligence after the attack, and said in a televised address that the security forces would “avenge the martyrs”.

“This act will only increase our will and unity,” he said, according to The Guardian. “The police and military will avenge our martyrs and restore peace and security.”