Seventeen people have been caught by Egyptian police after a bomb, possibly detonated by a foreign-backed suicide bomber, took the lives of 21 people outside a church in Alexandria. The bomb went off shortly after midnight, December 31st; injuring more than 90 people and killing 21. President Hosni MubarakPresident Hosni Mubarak stated that the attack was on Sforeign elements. He called for unity among Muslims and Christians.
Muslim and Christian communities have been at Swar as tension has increased in the area for the past several years. Egypt, predominantly Muslim; has been trying to settle the increasing pressure between the two factions. Scores of Christians protested the midnight attack, hitting police forces with stones and crying for the dead. The Interior Ministry stated that it has Sbeefed up security around churches
SIn light of the escalating threats from al-Qaeda to many countries security would be increased; stated the Ministry. Al-Qaeda"s branch in Iraq stated that it would attack Christian targets after it claimed Egypt"s Coptic Church was holding two Christian women in punishment for converting to Islam. The church has denied all allegations.
Amr El-Shobaki, analyst at the Cairo-based Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies stated, S(the attack bears the) fingerprints of al-Qaeda. It was either successful in planting a cell in Egypt or recruited individuals to carry out a single operation. This will deepen the tension between Muslims and Christians in Egypt.
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