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2017 Sinai mosque attack

Coordinates: 31°2′22″N 33°20′52″E / 31.03944°N 33.34778°E / 31.03944; 33.34778
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Bir al-Abed mosque attack
Part of Sinai insurgency and Terrorism in Egypt
Map
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45km
30miles
El Arish
Bir al-Abed
.
al-Rawda mosque
Locationnear Bir al-Abed, North Sinai Governorate, Egypt
Coordinates31°2′22″N 33°20′52″E / 31.03944°N 33.34778°E / 31.03944; 33.34778
Targetal-Rawda mosque
Attack type
Bombing, mass shooting
WeaponsImprovised explosive device (IED) and firearms
Deaths305[1]
Injured128+[2]

On 24 November 2017, the al-Rawda mosque was attacked by around forty gunmen during Friday prayers. The mosque, known as the birthplace of the founder of Sufism in the Sinai Peninsula, is located near the town of Bir al-Abed in Egypt's North Sinai Governorate. The gun and bomb attack killed more than 305 people and injured more than 128, making it the deadliest terrorist attack in Egyptian history and the second deadliest attack in 2017, after the 14 October 2017 Mogadishu bombings.[1]

Attack

Al-Rawda Mosque, which belongs to the local Jreer clan, is located on the main coastal highway on the way to Gaza.[3] The mosque is on the road between El Arish and Bir al-Abed.[4]

According to local media, attackers in four off-road vehicles planted two bombs. Authorities at the scene explained how the attackers had used the burning wrecks of cars to block off escape routes. After their detonation, they launched rocket propelled grenades and opened fire on worshipers during the crowded Friday prayer at al-Rawda in Bir al-Abed.[3] When ambulances arrived to transport the wounded to hospitals, the attackers opened fire on them as well, having selected ambush points from which to target them. Local residents quickly responded, bringing the wounded to hospitals in their own cars and trucks, and even taking up weapons to fight back.[2][5][6][7][8]

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack,[9] although reporting by the Associated Press, quoting the state news agency MENA, stated that the attack appeared to be the work of the local Islamic State affiliate.[2] Islamist militants have been active in the Sinai since July 2013, killing at least 1,000 Egyptian security forces personnel.[10] According to the New York Times, in January 2017 an interview of an insurgent commander in Sinai appeared in issue five of the Islamic State magazine Rumiyah, where the commander condemned Sufi practices and identified the district where the attack occurred as one of three areas where Sufis live in Sinai that Islamic State intended to "eradicate."[1]

Egyptian authorities were quick to claim a counterattack, with the Air Force claiming the pursuit and destruction of some of the militants' vehicles. Airstrikes were also conducted in the mountains around the town.[11][12]

Casualties

As of 19:30 EET on the day of the attack, MENA was reporting that the attack had caused at least 235 fatalities and 109 injuries, including 27 children, with at least 30 ambulances responding.[2][1][13][14][15] Many of the victims worked at a nearby salt mine, and were at the mosque for Friday prayers.[3] By the following day, the number of fatalities had risen to 305.

Reactions

According to state television, Egypt has declared three days of national mourning following the attack. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said the attack "shall not go unpunished", and the Egyptian health ministry called the incident a "terrorist attack".[6][7] The President also ordered the government to allocate funds for compensating families of the dead.[16] Egyptian MP Mustapha Bakri called the attack a "massacre".[17]

The Muslim Brotherhood wrote on Twitter and Facebook that it "condemns in the strongest words" the attack and that those responsible should "renounce extremism and violence".[18][19] Al-Azhar University, Egypt's oldest degree-granting university, issued a statement condemning the attacks, adding "terrorism will be routed".[20]

A three-day opening of the border crossing into Gaza from Egypt at Rafah, scheduled for 25–27 November, was cancelled for security concerns.[21] The Cairo International Film Festival stated in a press release its intention to continue with the festival, and condemned the attacks.[22]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d WALSH, DECLAN; YOUSSEF, NOUR (24 November 2017). "Militants Kill 305 at Sufi Mosque in Egypt's Deadliest Terrorist Attack". Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference AP_200 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c "Militants attack Egyptian mosque, kill at least 235 people". Star Tribune. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  4. ^ Lee, Ian; Laura Smith-Spark; Hamdi Alkhshali (25 November 2017). "Egypt hunts for killers after mosque attack leaves at least 235 dead". CNN. Retrieved 25 November 2017. Gunmen fired on people fleeing after explosions took place at the mosque between Bir al-Abed and the city of al-Arish.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference aljazeera was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b CNN, Hamdi Alkhshali, Ian Lee and Laura Smith-Spark. "'Scores killed' in Egypt mosque attack". CNN. Retrieved 24 November 2017. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ a b "Egypt: Militants kill at least 235 in attack on Sinai mosque". The Seattle Times. 24 November 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  8. ^ "Militants kill more than 230 in attack on mosque in Egypt". Stuff. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  9. ^ CNN, Ian Lee, Laura Smith-Spark and Hamdi Alkhshali. "Egypt: Military hunts for killers after mosque attack leaves at least 235 dead". CNN. Retrieved 24 November 2017. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ Eltahawy, Mona (24 November 2017). "Egypt Is Failing to Deal With Its Sinai Insurgency". New York Times. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  11. ^ "Terror attack killing 235 Muslims praying on Friday is an 'unprecedented' atrocity in Egypt". The Independent. 24 November 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  12. ^ "Egypt mosque attackers kill 235". BBC News. 24 November 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  13. ^ "235 killed, 130 injured in gunfire, bomb attack targeting mosque in Egypt's Sinai during prayers". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  14. ^ "Egypt mosque attack: Death toll rises to at least 200 after militants' bomb and gun assault in north Sinai". The Independent. 24 November 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  15. ^ "Gunmen in Egypt mosque attack carried Islamic State flag, prosecutor says". Reuters. 25 November, 15:07:18 UTC 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2017. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ "Mosque Attack In Egypt's Sinai Kills At Least 235". NPR.org. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  17. ^ Jarvis, Jacob (24 November 2017). "Terrorist attack in Egypt kills at least 85 people". nottinghampost. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  18. ^ "اﻹخوان المسلمون - مصر". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  19. ^ Ikhwanweb. "Muslim Brotherhood condemns in the strongest terms terrorist attack in #BiralAbed #Siani, offers deepest condolences to victims' families". Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  20. ^ Correspondent, Ramadan Al Sherbini, (24 November 2017). "Death toll in Egypt mosque attack rises to 235: state TV". GulfN ews. Retrieved 24 November 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference aljazeerawwk was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ "Cairo Int'l Film Festival organisers condemn North Sinai mosque attack but say festival to continue - Film - Arts & Culture - Ahram Online". english.ahram.org.eg. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
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