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.
Egypt's President Sisi vows to respond with "brute force" to the attack that has so far claimed at least 235 lives.
Mike Pence, US vice-president, sends his condolences and says "our strength and resolve" will overpower terrorism.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has released a full statement on the attack:
The United States condemns in the strongest terms today’s horrific terrorist attack at a mosque in Egypt’s North Sinai province. We offer our condolences to the families of those killed and wounded, and we stand with the people and government of Egypt against terrorism. There can be no tolerance for barbaric groups that claim to act in the name of a faith but attack houses of worship and murder the innocent and defenseless while at prayer. The international community must continue to strengthen its efforts to defeat terrorist groups that threaten the United States and our partners and we must collectively discredit the extremist ideology that forms the basis of their existence.
Paris' mayor says the Eiffel Tower will go black at midnight to pay respect to the victims of the deadly assault.
Via Twitter, Anne Hidalgo addressed her "condolences to the victims' families" and her "support to the people wounded" after the attack.
Reuters has some quotes from a witness to the incident:
Worshippers were finishing Friday prayers at the mosque when a bomb exploded, witnesses said. Around 40 gunmen set up positions outside the mosque with jeeps and opened fire from different directions as people tried to escape.
"Four groups of armed men attacked the worshippers inside the mosque after Friday noon prayers. Two groups were firing at ambulances to deter them, said Mohamed
Resident Ashraf el-Hefny said many of the victims were workers at a nearby salt factory who had come for Friday services at the mosque.
"Local people brought the wounded to hospital on their own cars and trucks," he added.
Messages of support for Egypt have been coming in from world leaders:
UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he was deeply saddened by the "abhorrent attack" on a mosque. "My sincere condolences to all those affected by such a barbaric act," he tweeted.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron also gave their condolences on Twitter.
Jordanian King Abdullah II condemned what he called a "heinous terrorist attack" on the Jordanian royal family's official Twitter account.
"We stand with Egyptians in their war against terrorism and against anyone who tries to harm the Egyptian national security," Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said in a statement.
US President Donald Trump has tweeted about the attack in Egypt - sending his prayers, but also using the incident to suggest that the US needs to build the wall on the Mexico border to prevent terrorism.
The UN Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have condemned the deadly attack in "the strongest terms" and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
The council statement called it a "heinous and cowardly terrorist attack" and reiterated that all acts of terrorism "are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation." Mr Guterres called the attack, which killed at least 235 people, "horrific."
Security Council members, including Egypt which is serving a two-year term, "reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security."
Both the council and the secretary-general extended deepest condolences to the families of the victims and to the government and people of Egypt.
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