Fear and grief mar Easter Mass celebrations in Egypt

Coptic Christians observe holiday amid unprecedented security following twin terror attacks that killed 45 on Palm Sunday

CAIRO — Easter Mass celebrations were held amid fear and grief in churches across the country Saturday after twin bombs killed 45 people in churches in Alexandria and Tanta earlier this week on Palm Sunday.

At least eight security agents could be seen surrounding Coptic Christian Pope Tawadros II as he entered St. Mark’s Cathedral in Cairo, the seat of the Coptic Orthodox Pope, where he led prayers with several ministers in attendance.

Pope Tawadros had earlier announced during his Good Friday sermon that, as mourning for the attack’s victims was ongoing, the celebratory aspects of Easter would be canceled this year, including the Easter morning reception.

Egypt’s Interior Ministry heightened security measures on the day, creating 400-meter radius security cordons around churches barring vehicles. Additionally, bomb squads scanned churches across the country for suspicious objects, according to an official who spoke on the condition of anonymity as he was not allowed to brief the media.

Soldiers guard a street near a church in downtown Cairo, Egypt on April 10, 2017. (AP/Nariman El-Mofty)

On Sunday, a suicide bomber was able to make his way to the front rows of a church in the Nile Delta City of Tanta before blowing himself up, while in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, another attacker detonated his suicide vest at the church gate’s metal detector after being stopped by security.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the bombings after vowing in an earlier statement to continue targeting the country’s Coptic Christian minority.