Mosque shooting death toll hits 305
27 children killed in worst terror attack in Egypt’s history
AT least 27 children were among the 305 people killed during a terrorist rampage at a Sinai mosque on Friday, the Egyptian government said as it updated the grim toll of the worst attack in the country’s history.
Egypt’s attorney general said up to 30 gunmen had taken part in the slaughter and that they carried the black banners of Isil as they gunned down worshippers during Friday prayers.
Relatives of the victims said some households in the village of Rawda had lost every single male member of their family. “There is no one in the village who didn’t lose at least one of his relatives,” said Mohammed Sleem, a university student who lost two cousins.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but suspicion has fallen heavily on Isil’s Egyptian affiliate, known as Sinai Province, which has carried out deadly attacks against Egyptian troops and Christians in the area.
The Egyptian military carried out airstrikes in north Sinai in response but it was not clear if it was acting on specific intelligence or simply trying to make a show of force to reassure the public.
Yesterday investigators said they were still finding bodies in the toilets and other areas as they combed through the grounds of the mosque.
Rawda is home to around 2,500 people and with almost all of the men at the mosque for prayers nearly every home was in mourning yesterday.
“Some women lost all their male family members,” said village elder Abdel Qader Mubarak. “There is no home in Rawda without a martyr.
“It was during the Friday sermon, where all men were inside the mosque. About 2030 armed men surrounded the mosque from the outside and some of them entered.
“They shut the door behind them. They started to open fire with machine guns and hand grenades. Some of them shot through the windows. It was random shooting.
“Then they left and wandered in the village. Whoever was found was shot. Then they returned to the mosque and whoever was found still alive was shot again.”
Egyptian prosecutor general Nabil Sadeq said between 25 and 30 gunmen arrived at the mosque in a convoy of SUVs and took up positions at the entrances and exits.
“[The worshippers] heard heavy gunfire outside the mosque and the sound of explosions followed by the entry of a number of people. Some were masked and others were unmasked with thick, wild hair,” Mr Sadeq said.
“They were carrying machine guns and a flag that read ‘There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah’ and wearing clothes similar to military uniforms.”
He officially raised the death toll from an initial count of 235 to 305.
Most of the men at the mosque were Sufis, adherents to a mystic tradition of Islam. Isil considers Sufis to be heretics and has threatened them often.