The Assyrian International News Agency has an account, with video, of the bombing of a Christian church on New Year’s Eve, presumably by Islamic extremists. I have no idea how reliable AINA is, but, for what it is worth, here are some highlights:
According to church officials and eyewitnesses, there are many more victims that are still unidentified and whose body parts were strewn all over the street outside the church. The body parts were covered with newspapers until they were brought inside the church after some Muslims started stepping on them and chanting Jihadi chants.
According to eyewitnesses, a green Skoda car pulled up outside the church shortly after midnight. Two men got out, one of them talked shortly on his mobile phone, and the explosion occurred almost immediately after they left the scene. On the back of the Skoda was a sticker with the words “the rest is coming” (video of car explosion and Muslims shouting “Allah Akbar”).
It was reported that the bomb, locally made, had 100KG of explosives in addition to having nails, glass and iron balls inside. The strength of it not only caused glass panes to be shattered in all the neighborhood, but also made body parts fly into the building’s fourth floor, and to the mosque facing the church.
If this account is correct, the Egyptian authorities’ efforts to assign blame do not inspire much confidence:
There was no immediate claim of responsibility but officials hastily blamed either Al-Qaida or the Israeli Mossad of being behind the blast, but none of them mentioned the Egyptian state security which is viewed by Copts as the real culprit.
To clear his security forces of negligence, the Minister of Interior said that the blast was an “individual” case, caused by a single suicide terrorist detonating his vest, and has nothing to do with an exploding car. The governor of Alexandria claimed the attack as being aimed at Muslims and Christians alike.
Watching the video, it is hard to believe that the car didn’t have anything to do with the explosion. This charge is particularly incendiary; whether it is true, I have no idea:
El-Gezeiry asks why this Skoda vehicle was allowed to park in front of the church in an area cordoned off by security, when it was known that Al-Qaeda had already announced its intention of carrying out criminal acts against churches.
Eyewitnesses confirmed that security forces guarding the church withdrew nearly one hour before the blast, leaving only four policemen and an officer to guard such a big church and nearly 2000 people attending the midnight mass. “Normally they would have waited until the mass was over,” said el-Gezeiry.
This video depicts bodies and body parts that have been covered with newspapers in the street, as described in the AINA article:
Here we see the burning car and the immediate aftermath of the bombing. To me it sounds like one guy shouting “Allahu Akbar.”
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