# International Terrorism Watch (Middle East) Thread - January 2011



## George Wallace (1 Jan 2011)

*International Terrorism Watch (Middle East) Thread - January 2011 *   

*Terrorism (other than Afghanistan) statements here only - 
please take discussion/debate to a new thread

Thanks for your help 
making this news-only thread work*​


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## George Wallace (1 Jan 2011)

*Articles found January 1, 2011*

 Bomb outside Egyptian church kills 21

Article Link
01/01/2011 10:30:45 AM

CTV.ca News Staff 

*At least 21 people were killed and dozens wounded in a bomb blast outside a Christian church in the Egyptian port city of Alexandria. 
* 

The bomb exploded in front of the Saints Church about a half hour after midnight early Saturday as nearly 1,000 worshippers were leaving a New Year's Mass. It's not known if all the victims were Christians.

"The last thing I heard was a powerful explosion and then my ears went deaf," Marco Boutros, a 17-year-old survivor, told the Associated Press from his hospital bed. "All I could see were body parts scattered all over -- legs and bits of flesh."

It's unclear where the blast originated. Police initially said the bomb came from a an explosives-packed car outside the church, but later reports showed little sign of a crater that large car bombs usually cause.

An Interior Ministry statement on the official news agency said: "It is likely that the device which exploded was carried by a suicide bomber who died among others." 

The circumstances of the attack "clearly indicates that foreign elements undertook planning and execution," the statement added.  Most recent anti-Christian violence has involved shootings and stabbings; Saturday's attack was clearly more planned and sophisticated.

President Hosni Mubarak said the attack "carries evidence of the involvement of foreign fingers" and vowed to pursue the perpetrators. 

The attack was the deadliest against Christians in a decade and comes after repeated threats by al Qaeda militants in Iraq to attack Egypt's Christians. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. 

The country has witnessed growing tensions in recent years between its Muslim majority and Christian minority, made up mostly of Orthodox Copts. The Christians say they face discrimination at the hands of Muslims and accuse the government of covering up attacks on their community. 

Saturday's bombing prompted new violence from crowds of young Christian men, who hurled stones at riot police in the streets outside the church and a neighbouring hospital. Police responded by firing rubber bullets and tear gas. 

Mubarak promised in a televised address that terrorists would not divide Christians and Muslims in Egypt. He said the bombing was an attack against "all Egypt" and that "terrorism does not distinguish between Copt and Muslim." 

Archbishop Arweis, the top Coptic cleric in Alexandria, said police want to blame a suicide bomber so they can write it off as a lone attacker. He denounced what he called a lack of protection. 

"There were only three soldiers and an officer in front of the church. Why did they have so little security at such a sensitive time when there's so many threats coming from al-Qaida?" he told the Associated Press. 

With reports from the Associated Press


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## The Bread Guy (5 Jan 2011)

Iranian media, never missing a chance to hop on the anti-Semite band wagon, blames guess who for the 1 Jan 11 blast in Egypt?


> The explosion at a church in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, which left 21 people killed and another 80 Muslims and Christians wounded, raises one question: Who was behind the blast?
> 
> 
> Although, at first glance, the finger is pointed at extremist Wahabi or Salafi groups, it goes without saying that no Muslim, whatever their political leanings may be, will ever commit such an inhumane act.
> ...


Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight....

_(Hat tip to Terry Glavin at Chronicles & Dissent for this one)._


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