Egypt was in mourning on Saturday as the death toll of the deadly attack on a Sinai mosque surpassed 300.
State prosecutor said The death toll from an attack on Muslim worshippers at a mosque in Egypt’s Sinai rose to 305, noting that 27 children were among them, according to a statement reported by state television.
Special prayers were planned nationwide a day after gunmen detonated a bomb and mowed down worshippers fleeing the Rawda mosque in North Sinai, where security forces are battling Takfiri terrorists.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi declared three days of mourning and vowed to “respond with brutal force” to the attack, among the deadliest in the world since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
“The army and police will avenge our martyrs and return security and stability with force in the coming short period,” he said in a televised speech.
Hours later Egyptian air force jets destroyed vehicles used in the attack and “terrorist” locations where weapons and ammunition were stocked, an army spokesman said.
Witnesses said the attackers blocked routes to the site using vehicles which they set alight.
Between 10 and 20 armed attackers were involved, Magdy Rizk, who was among the wounded, told AFP.
“They were wearing masks and military uniforms,” he said, adding that people living in the area had previously received threats from extremist groups.
Source: AFP
