CAIRO
A military funeral ceremony was held for the 25 police officers who lost their lives in a rocket attack conducted by unidentified assailants on a police bus in the northern Sinai Peninsula.
The late night funeral ceremony held at the Almaza Military Airport, located near the Cairo International Airport in Egypt's capital Cairo, was attended by high-ranking military and police officials.
The funeral was broadcast live by Egyptian state television.
The Egyptian Ministry of Interior had announced that 25 police officers had been killed when unidentified persons fired RPG-type rockets at a police bus on the international highway near Rafah in the Sinai Peninsula.
3 days of mourning have been declared across Egypt for the 25 deceased police officers.
A written statement from Egypt's presidency declared that, effective as of today, three days of mourning would be held nationwide for the 25 police officers who died in the attack.
Meanwile, The Tamarod (Rebellion) Movement expressed their concern over the recent developments in Egypt, noting that the attack which killed 25 officers was the latest incident arousing concern.The statement, which highlighted that violence against prisoners and the restriction of freedoms were unacceptable, also voiced concern about the developments which arose during the transportation of detained Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan) members to Abu Zabel Prison in the city of Al-Al Qalyubiyah north of Cairo.
Mufti of Egypt Shafki Abdulkarim Allam also condemned the attack. He called on authorities to undertake all necessary measures for the protection of the people of Sinai, security forces and Egypt's sovereignty. He said, “This act has no religious legitimacy, and struggles may be conducted only against enemies at home and abroad.”
The Salafist Nour Party in Egypt described the Rafah attack as “a crime against religious values, humanity and honor." Nour Party Chairman Yunus Mahyun expressed in his written statement that, in order to regain the affinity between the people of Egypt and find a solution to the current crisis, the parties to the conflict will need to show flexibility.
-Rocket attack in Sinai
Meanwhile, a rocket attack was reported near a military intelligence center in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
A rocket attack was conducted near a military intelligence center in the city of Arish in Sinai, according to information obtained by an AA correspondent from police sources. No one was reported to have been killed or injured in the incident.
Security forces opened heavy fire in the direction from which the rocket was launched.
Egyptian authorities have not yet provided a statement related to the event.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
