President Mubarak: All of Egypt was Targeted Today and We Will Punish the Perpetrators of This Heinous Crime

WASHINGTON, Jan. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Shortly after midnight on the first of January, 2011, a terrorist bombing took place outside the Saints Mary-Girgis and Bishop Peter Church in the Sidi Bishr district of Alexandria. According to preliminary information from the Ministry of Health, the attack resulted in 21 fatalities and 43 wounded.

A preliminary forensic investigation by the Ministry of Interior indicates that the attack was an act of a suicide bomber, who was likely killed in the explosion, and not a car bomb as has been initially reported. The explosive device contained nails and ball bearings to maximize casualties.  A Ministry of Interior report stated that the method of the attack suggests the involvement of foreign elements, and noted that Al-Qaeda had issued threats against Egypt.

The Ministry of Interior also reported that the four members of the security details assigned to the Church had been among the wounded.

The Prosecutor-General has begun a criminal investigation of this attack.

In a televised national address, President Mubarak expressed his condolences to the families of the victims, both Christians and Muslims, "whose blood was mingled on the ground today in Alexandria, proving that all of Egypt was targeted today." The President added that "their blood will not be in vain and we will strike the hand of the terrorism that threatens us." The President expressed his determination to bring the perpetrators to justice, stating that "we won our war with terrorism in the Nineties and those who believe that they can escape the punishment of the Egyptian people are sorely mistaken." The President stated that "we will track down those who planned and committed this crime, and we will capture those among us who collaborated with them."

The president stated that this "terrorist attack bears the mark of foreign elements." He added that terrorism continued to threaten Egypt, but that the "forces of terrorism will not succeed in their plots, and they will fail to undermine the stability and security of Egypt or the unity of its people, both Muslims and Christians."

The President stated that this act was a part of a series of attempts to create conflict between Christians and Muslims, but Almighty God showed us that we stand together.

The Office of the President stated that he is personally monitoring the investigation and response to this heinous crime, and has issued a number of directives ordering an intense and swift investigation into this crime and its perpetrator, and called on the Egyptian people to stand together against terrorism.

Egyptian Prime Minister Dr. Ahmed Nazif also condemned this attack, stating that the Egyptian people understand that there are attempts to undermine their unity and that they reject terrorism in all forms. Dr. Nazif has ordered the Minister of Health to personally monitor the medical care being provided to the wounded on the ground in Alexandria, and noted that a number of wounded has been airlifted to Cairo. The Prime Minister also ordered local authorities in Alexandria to provide all possible assistance to the victims and their families.

The Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar, the preeminent seat of Islamic scholarship in the Muslim world, Dr. Ahmed El-Tayib called the attack a "heinous crime" and stated that this was an attack against all Egyptians, stressing that "to attack a church is to attack a mosque." In a related statement, the Mufti of the Republic Dr. Aly Goma stated that he "and all the Islamic jurists of Egypt condemn this criminal act targeting innocent Christians and Muslims, in attempt to sow sectarian discord in the nation."

SOURCE Egyptian Press and Information Office, Washington, D.C.