Egypt mosque attack: Bomb and gun assault in North Sinai kills at least 235 people - as it happened
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Your support makes all the difference.At least 235 people have been killed after suspected militants set off a bomb and opened fire at a mosque in Egypt's restive northern Sinai province.
The attack on Friday targeted supporters of the security forces attending prayers there, two eyewitnesses and a security source said.
Eyewitnesses at Al Rawdah mosque in Bir al-Abed, near Arish city, told local media ambulances rushed to take the wounded to nearby hospitals.
A total of 235 people had been confirmed dead, a health ministry spokesperson said, adding it is feared the toll will rise.
Egypt has been fighting a vicious Isis insurgency in Sinai for the last three years. Friday's attack comes after a spate of recent bombings targeting the police and army.
While most militant attacks target the security forces, hundreds of civilians have been killed in the violence. Attacks outside the region have targeted Egypt's Christian minority.
President Abdel Fattah al Sisi has convened an emergency security meeting in Cairo.
The death toll now stands at 235, with more than 100 injured, according to state television.
Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, has condemned the "barbaric terrorist attack".
If confirmed, the 235 figure would make this attack the deadliest in Egypt's modern history. 224 people were killed in 2015 when Metrojet Flight 9268 disintegrated above northern Sinai. The cause of the crash was most likely an onboard explosive device, according to Russian investigators.
The US Embassy in Egypt has spoken out over today's attack that has so far claimed 235 victims.
Donald Trump, US President, has taken to Twitter to speak out against the terrorist attack.
Dr Mohammad Faisal, spokesperson for Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
Witnesses have reported there were around 40 gunmen who set up positions outside the mosque with jeeps and opened fire from different directions as people tried to escape, reports Reuters.
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