At first, officials said the attack stemmed from a car laden with
explosives outside the Alexandria church. Later, the Interior Ministry
attributed the bombing — in which another 97 people were injured — to a
suicide operative, Middle East Newsline reported. The bomb was said to have contained steel bolts to
increase lethality.
"It is probable that the bomb was carried by a suicide bomber who died
in the crowd," the Interior Ministry said.
The attack sparked clashes between police and Coptic protesters, who
shouted "where is the government." Police fired rubber bullets and arrested
dozens of Christians, many of whom officials said hurled stones toward a
nearby mosque.
Security sources said at least 40 officers were injured in clashes with
Copts in Alexandria and Cairo on Jan. 2. One of the Coptic protests, in
which demonstrators shouted "Revolution, revolution," took place in front of
the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
The Mubarak regime, despite opposition warnings, has denied an Al Qaida
presence in Egypt. Still, over the last two years, Egypt has arrested
suspected Al Qaida operatives accused of planning attacks. At least one
opposition party said it would demand the resignation of Interior Minister
Habib Al Adly for ignoring the Al Qaida threats.
Still, officials acknowledged that the latest attack appeared to be the
work of an Al Qaida-aligned network in cooperation with Egyptian operatives.
They said authorities have been interrogating at least seven suspects over
the last day.
"Someone wants to make this country explode," the pro-government
newspaper Ruz El Yusef said.
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