Death toll rises to 305
THE death toll in the deadliest attack by Islamic terrorists in Egypt’s modern history has risen to 305, including 27 children.
The killing of worshippers in a mosque in the country’s northern Sinai, left another 128 people wounded, the nation’s chief prosecutor, Nabil Sadeq, said in a statement.
Mr Sadeq estimated between 25 and 30 militants arrived at the mosque close to the small town of Bir al-Abd in five all-terrain vehicles and positioned themselves at the main door and the facility’s 12 windows before opening fire.
They also torched seven parked cars, which belonged to worshippers inside. Quoting survivor testimonies, Mr Sadeq said some of the attackers were masked. Those who were not sported heavy beards and long hair. The militants wore camouflaged pants and black T-shirts, he added.
The militants attack targeted the mosque frequented by Sufis, members of a mystic movement within Islam.
Islamic militants, including the local affiliate of the Islamic State group, consider Sufis heretics because of their less literal interpretations of the faith.
According to the military, Egyptian warplanes were in action over Sinai, targeting several vehicles in which some of the suspected culprits were travelling.
All passengers of the vehicles were killed, Mr Sadeq said. It was impossible to independently verify the claim since the media is virtually banned from working in Sinai.
The chief prosecutor’s statement was the most detailed by authorities on the attack, the deadliest by Islamic extremists in Egypt’s modern history.
Witnesses spoke of horrific scenes during the 20 minutes it took the militants to kill and maim worshippers.
They spoke of some jumping out of windows, a stampede in a corridor leading to the washrooms and of children screaming in horror.
Some spoke of their narrow escape from a certain death, others of families that lost all or most of their members.
One witness, Ebid Salem Mansour, said the imam had barely made it to the mosque’s pulpit to deliver the sermon when intense gunfire rang out.
“We knew that the mosque was under attack by (militants),” he said, recounting an attack that constitutes a grim milestone in Egypt’s brutal fight against increasingly emboldened militants.
Mr Mansour, a 38-year-old worker in a nearby salt factory, said he settled in Bir al-Abd, the small town near where the attack took place, three years ago to escape the bloodshed and fighting elsewhere in northern Sinai. He suffered two gunshot wounds in the legs. “Everyone lay down on the floor and kept their heads down. If you raised your head you get shot,” he said.
“The shooting was random and hysterical at the beginning and then became more deliberate. Whoever they weren’t sure was dead or still breathing was shot dead.”
The militants were shouting “Allahu Akbar”, or God is great, and the children were screaming, Mr Mansour said.
President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi vowed that the attack “will not go unpunished” and that Egypt would persevere with its war on terrorism. But he did not specify what new steps might be taken.
On Saturday, he ordered that a mausoleum be built in memory of the victims of the massacre.