A severe attack has overshadowed the New Year's celebration in Alexandria, Egypt. After the midnight mass, a car bomb exploded outside a Coptic church. At least 20 people died. This provoked riots between Christians and Muslims. Cairo - The attack happened on Saturday at 0.30 clock in the district of Sidi Descr northern Egyptian city, as the faithful were leaving the church.According to the Egyptian Interior Ministry had the explosives-laden car parked in front of the church. The Christian church and a nearby mosque were damaged by the explosion. Eight people were injured in the explosion, a responsible person of the Egyptian Health Ministry said Saturday the news agency.
Previously, the Ministry of Interior of seven dead and 24 injured had spoken. Among the victims are to be eight Muslims who had stayed on the road. The governor of Alexandria, Adel Labib told state TV, the area around the Anschlagsort had been shut off. The search for the bombers would be in full swing.
At first no one confessed the attack. Hundreds of Christians gathered immediately after the explosion of protests in the streets. Christians and Muslims threw themselves to eyewitness reports of stones. The police used tear gas to end the unrest. Recently, a group which links to the terrorist network al-Qaida has threatened Christians throughout the Middle East, that they could be targets of attacks.
Only about ten percent of the total of 79 million Egyptians are Christians. The number of acts of violence between religious groups has increased, according to human rights groups last. Muslim fanatics in January outside a church in Upper Egypt, Coptic Christians and a Muslim eight policemen were shot dead.
In November there were clashes, as Christians against a stop the building of a church in a suburb of Cairo protested. One Christian was killed and several people were injured. Dozens were arrested.
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