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Palm Sunday Church Bombings

On Palm Sunday, 9 April 2017, twin suicide bombings struck St. George's Church in Tanta and Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria, Egypt, killing at least 43 people and injuring more than 100. ISIS claimed responsibility.

SOLVED2017

St. George's Church, Tanta / Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, Alexandria, Egypt

3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

On Palm Sunday, 9 April 2017, two suicide bombings struck Coptic Christian churches in Egypt. The first explosion occurred inside St. George's Church in Tanta during a service. A second bomber detonated near the entrance to Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria after security personnel stopped him from entering. Pope Tawadros II, who had been at the Alexandria cathedral, was unharmed.

The attacks killed at least 43 people and injured more than 100; reported totals varied as authorities updated casualty figures. ISIS claimed responsibility through its Amaq News Agency. Egyptian authorities later said DNA comparisons identified the two deceased bombers.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi announced a three-month state of emergency after the attacks, subject to parliamentary approval. The bombings drew international condemnation and renewed attention to violence targeting Egypt's Coptic Christian community.

Key facts

Victims
Pope Tawadros II
Date
2017
Location
St. George's Church, Tanta / Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, Alexandria, Egypt
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2016-12

    ISIS claimed responsibility for the Botroseya Church bombing in Cairo, which killed 29 people, an attack cited as a precursor to the Palm Sunday bombings.

  2. 2017-02

    ISIS issued a call for attacks on Christians in Egypt.

  3. 2017-04-09

    Twin suicide bombings occurred at St. George's Church in Tanta and Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria, killing at least 43 and injuring 789.

  4. 2017-04-09

    President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi declared a three-month state of emergency across Egypt.

  5. 2017-04-12

    Egyptian Interior Ministry identified Mahmud Hassan Mubarak Abdullah as the bomber at Saint Mark's Cathedral using DNA comparison.

  6. 2017-04-13

    Egyptian authorities identified Mamduh Amin Mohammed Baghdadi as the second bomber.

  7. 2021-10

    Egypt's state of emergency, continuously extended since the bombings, ended.

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People

  • Mahmoud Mohamed Ali Hussein

    CHARGED

    Identified by eyewitnesses as the man believed to have detonated the explosive belt at St. George's Church in Tanta; described as in charge of both church bombings.

  • Pope Tawadros II

    VICTIM

    Head of the Coptic Orthodox Church; had left Saint Mark's Cathedral minutes before the Alexandria bombing and was unharmed.

  • Mahmud Hassan Mubarak Abdullah

    CHARGED

    Identified by Egyptian Interior Ministry via DNA comparison as the bomber at Saint Mark's Cathedral in Alexandria.

  • Mamduh Amin Mohammed Baghdadi

    CHARGED

    Identified by Egyptian authorities as the second bomber involved in the Alexandria attack.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

St. George's Church, Tanta / Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, Alexandria, Egypt

30.7928, 31.0054

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On Palm Sunday, 9 April 2017, twin suicide bombings struck St. George's Church in Tanta and Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria, Egypt, killing at least 43 people and injuring more than 100. ISIS claimed responsibility.
Where did the crime happen?
St. George's Church, Tanta / Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, Alexandria, Egypt.
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Egypt

Sources

  1. PRESSEgypt: Isis Claims Responsibility for Coptic Church BombingsThe Guardian · 2026-07-11
  2. PRESSEgypt: Horrific Palm Sunday BombingsHuman Rights Watch · 2026-07-11
  3. ENCYCLOPEDICPalm Sunday church bombingsWikipedia · 2026-07-10

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