Suicide bomber blows himself up in church in Syrian capital, killing at least 20 people
In the capital of Syria, Damascus, a suicide bomber detonated an explosion in the Church of St. Elias. As a result of the terrorist attack, 20 people died, 52 more were injured. About this informs AR.
So far, no organization has claimed responsibility for the attack. Syria’s interior ministry said an attacker linked to the Islamic State terrorist group entered the Church of Saint Elias, opened fire and blew himself up with an explosive vest. The governor of Damascus, Maher Marwan, called the terrorist attack “a blatant attack on the security of citizens and the security of the homeland.”
“We insist that this incident be investigated in cooperation with all authorities until justice is served and the maximum punishment is meted out to all those who participated in, planned or organized this criminal act. We express our condolences to the families of the victims and reaffirm our support to them.” Maher Marwan noted.
The governor also called on the public to help the law enforcement officers by reporting all the information that could contribute to solving the crime.
The explosion occurred during a service in an overcrowded church. Bishop Moussa Khoury said that the terrorist “threw a grenade into the church during the afternoon mass.”
“He started shooting, left, and then blew up the church,” – reported Moussa Khoury.
Priest Meletii Shahati clarified that another gunman took part in the attack, who fired at the door before the suicide bomber detonated the explosives. This is the first terrorist attack of this scale in Syria in recent years. It happened against the background of the efforts of the current government, led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa, to establish control over the entire territory of the country. Against this background, there is increasing concern about the activity of “sleeping” cells of radical groups.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Syria appealed to foreign diplomatic missions to refrain from visiting the Duweil area without prior approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ministry noted that such a measure is necessary to ensure the safety of diplomats and prevent violations of security protocols in place at the scene, where the investigation is ongoing.
Photo: tsn.ua
