Bomb blast near main cathedral in Cairo kills 25

By Hussein Qabani

At least 25 people were killed in a bomb explosion near the main Coptic cathedral in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Sunday, according to the Health Ministry.

A bomb exploded inside St. Peter’s church, adjacent to St Mark’s Cathedral, the seat of Egypt’s Orthodox Christian church and home of its leader Pope Tawadros II, in central Cairo.

The bombing has injured 49 people, ministry spokesman told Egyptian television.

According to Health Minister Ahmed Emad al-Din, most of the injured were women and children.

A video footage shared on social media showed the interior of the church littered with broken and scattered furniture, along with blood and clothing on the floor.

The Egyptian government termed the bombing as a “terrorist attack” and the Presidency declared a 3-day mourning over the victims of the bombing.

In a statement, the Orthodox church described the attack as a “coward” incident, vowing to maintain national unity in Egypt.

There was no claim of responsibility for the explosion, which came two days after six policemen were killed in a bomb blast in the Egyptian capital on Friday.

In Washington, the White House condemned "in the strongest terms the terrorist attack."

"This heinous attack targeting Christian worshipers as they gathered to practice their faith demonstrates once again the need for the international community to remain resolute in confronting acts of terrorism across the globe," National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke with his Egyptian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, to express condolences directly and stressed that Washington "will continue to stand with the people of Egypt," the State Department said.

Christian Copts are estimated to make up between 8-10 percent of Egypt's 90 million population.

*Anadolu Agency Washington Correspondent Michael Hernandez contributed to this report