Unsolved case · 2011
Also known as Saints Church bombing · Alexandria New Year's Eve bombing
The short answer
A bomb detonated outside the Coptic Orthodox Saints Church in Alexandria, Egypt, on 1 January 2011 as worshippers left New Year's midnight Mass, killing 23 people and injuring around 97 in the deadliest attack on Egypt's Coptic Christian minority in a decade.
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Suggest coverage for 2011 Alexandria BombingOn 1 January 2011, an explosive device detonated outside the Coptic Orthodox church of Saint Mark and Pope Peter (known as the Saints Church) in the Sidi Bishr neighborhood of Alexandria, Egypt. The blast occurred as several thousand Coptic Christians were leaving a midnight prayer service marking the new year. Twenty-one people were killed immediately or shortly after the explosion, and two more died of their injuries in hospital in the following days, bringing the death toll to 23. Approximately 97 people, most of them Christians, were injured. Forensic examination determined the device was homemade and packed with nails and ball bearings intended to maximize shrapnel injury. Initial reports described a car bomb, but Egypt's Interior Ministry later stated it was a suicide attack.
The attack occurred against a backdrop of rising sectarian tension in Egypt. Copts had reported increasing persecution and alleged official discrimination. It followed a Christmas Eve 2010 shooting in Upper Egypt that killed seven worshippers, and came roughly two months after a militant attack on the Our Lady of Salvation church in Baghdad, claimed by a group calling itself Al-Qaeda in Iraq, which had threatened Christians in the Middle East and specifically called for Egypt's Coptic Church to release two women it claimed were being held for converting to Islam. An Islamist website had also called for attacks on a list of Egyptian churches, including the one that was later bombed.
Egypt's then-Interior Minister Habib Ibrahim el-Adly stated in late January 2011 that evidence implicated the Gaza-based Salafi jihadist group Army of Islam, which denied responsibility while reportedly expressing support for the bombing. After el-Adly's dismissal at the end of January, Egypt's Attorney General opened a probe into his possible involvement, following allegations from a Coptic lawyer that the Interior Ministry's security apparatus had orchestrated the attack to blame Islamists and justify a crackdown. As of July 2011, no one had been brought to trial, and the Coptic Church was reported to be considering suing the Interior Ministry.
The bombing triggered widespread protests by Copts in Alexandria and Cairo, clashes with security forces, and expressions of condemnation from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, religious leaders including Pope Shenouda III and Al-Azhar officials, and numerous foreign governments and international bodies, including the United States, the United Kingdom, the Vatican, the European Union, and others. A funeral for victims was held at the Monastery of Saint Mina outside Alexandria, attended by thousands who rejected condolences offered on behalf of Mubarak. The case remains formally unresolved, with no individuals convicted or publicly charged in connection with the bombing according to available reporting.
Christmas Eve shooting by a gunman kills 7 worshippers leaving a church in Upper Egypt.
Attack on Our Lady of Salvation church in Baghdad; a group calling itself Al-Qaeda in Iraq claims responsibility and threatens Christians in the Middle East.
Bomb detonates outside the Saints Church (Saint Mark and Pope Peter) in Alexandria as worshippers leave midnight New Year's Mass, killing 21 immediately and injuring about 97.
Two more victims die of injuries in hospital, raising the death toll to 23.
Egyptian Muslims offer to form 'human shields' at churches during Coptic Christmas Eve mass.
About 4,000 Copts and supporters march in Sydney calling for action on persecution of Copts in Egypt.
Interior Minister Habib Ibrahim el-Adly states evidence implicates the Army of Islam in planning and executing the bombing.
El-Adly is dismissed from the Interior Ministry; Attorney General Abdel Meguid Mahmoud opens a probe into his alleged involvement in the bombing.
No one has yet been brought to trial; the Coptic Church reportedly threatens to sue the Interior Ministry.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
Officially named a person of interest by Egyptian prosecutors; not charged. Egypt's Interior Minister at the time of the bombing, he publicly blamed a Gaza-based group for the attack, was dismissed from office days later, and the General Prosecutor's office opened a probe into his own possible involvement.[3]
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