December 2013 Mansoura bombing
December 2013 Mansoura bombing | |
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Part of the Post-coup unrest in Egypt | |
Location | Mansoura, Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt |
Date | 24 December 2013 1:10 am EST (UTC+02:00) |
Target | Mansoura security directorate building |
Attack type | Suicide-car bombing |
Weapons | Improvised explosive device |
Deaths | 16 |
Injured | 150 |
The December 2013 Mansoura bombing occurred on the morning of Tuesday, 24 December 2013 in the
The explosion
Details surrounding the bombing still remain unclear whether it was one or multiple bombs.
Impact
Property damage
The bomb resulted in the collapse of the façade of the directorate with walls ripped apart from the five-story building and mounds of rubble piled up around it. It had also inflicted massive damage on surrounding buildings including the city council, National Theatre and the United Bank.[13][14] Port-Said Street, one of the city's largest avenues which lies close to the building, was strongly devastated with dozens of shop windows and displays lying in ruins and the city theatre has completely collapsed. Charred, crumpled and overturned cars were also scattered all around the scene as prosecutors and explosives experts examined them.[13] Thousands of residents reportedly helped with the rescue operations and later returned home once victims of the blast were transferred to area hospitals.[2] Many families had no homes, or food.
Deaths and injuries
Overall, 16 people were killed and over a 100 were injured with.[20] The deaths were reported to be 14 officers and conscripts and two civilians. Forensic investigators concluded on Wednesday their autopsy of the bodies of the victims with their injuries, mostly affecting the abdomen, chest and head, were caused by metal fragments from the explosion that were later extracted from the corpses. One of the fatalities, a woman, died beneath the debris of the partially collapsed building after suffering from cerebral hemorrhage and injuries to her lungs and ribs.[21][22]
The number of injured is estimated to be 134, with thirty-one of them being treated in hospitals in Mansoura and Cairo according to Ahmed Kamel, Health Ministry spokesman.[2][20] Al-Ahram reported that most of the injured's cases were stable and that the three city hospitals admitting the majority of the cases were well equipped and efficient in dealing with the cases. Thousands of the city's residents heeded official calls to donate blood in area hospitals. However, doctors began turning away potential donors as blood banks acquired large quantities of blood.[2][13]
Responsibility
Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, which is currently engaged in an armed confrontation with the government in the lawless regions of the Sinai, has released an online statement claiming responsibility for the bombing and identified the name of the perpetrator as Abu Mariam. In the statement they threatened the government forces to "quit their service in the militias of [Defense Minister Abdel Fattah] al-Sisi and [Interior Minister] Mohamed Ibrahim, and learn from the fate of their colleagues [who were killed in the incident]."[23] Another comment by the group on an Islamist forum read:
"Your brothers in Ansar Bait Al-Maqdis, with the grace of God, were able to target the Dakahlia police headquarters"[24]
They have also called several times on the country's security forces before the incident to abandon their positions or "face death" at the hands of its fighters and were responsible for several previous terrorist attacks in the Sinai Peninsula.[9][24][25]
Domestic response
Prime Minister
International response
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References
- ^ "At least 11 killed, over 100 wounded in big blast in Egypt's Nile Delta". Reuters. 24 December 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f "15 dead, 134 injured in Egypt's Mansoura explosion". Al-Ahram. 24 December 2013.
- ^ "Egypt blast kills 14 in Mansoura; death toll expected to rise". Los Angeles Times. 24 December 2013.
- ^ "12 dead after blast rocks Egypt police station". USA Today. 24 December 2013.
- ^ "Egypt Blast Kills at Least 11, State Media Say". The Wall Street Journal. 24 December 2013.
- ^ "Bomb kills 14 in Egypt, PM declares Muslim Brotherhood 'terrorist'". The Times of India. 24 December 2013.
- ^ "Powerful Bombing at Egypt Police Station Kills 12". Time World. 24 December 2013. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013.
- ^ "Egyptian interior minister accuses Hamas of supporting Mansoura attackers". Ahram. 2 January 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
- ^ a b "Egypt: 14 Dead in Police Headquarters Explosion". Sky News. 24 December 2013.
- ^ "Egypt's Military-Backed Rulers Brand Muslim Brotherhood 'Terrorist' and Extend Crackdown". Time World. 26 December 2013.
- ^ "Egypt: Fatal clashes and hundreds more arrests in Muslim Brotherhood crackdown". Euronews. 27 December 2013. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
- ^ "A series of bombing threatens Egypt's future as a constitutional state". The Washington Times. 28 December 2013.
- ^ a b c d e "As the dust settles, devastation hits Mansoura after the blast". Al-Ahram. 24 December 2013.
- ^ a b "Deadly Mansoura explosion kills 15". Daily News Egypt. 24 December 2013.
- ^ "An explosives-laden truck maybe behind Mansoura blasts: Security source". Al-Ahram. 24 December 2013.
- ^ "Suicide car bomb caused Mansoura blast: Interior ministry". Al-Ahram. 24 December 2013.
- ^ "Suicide bomber blamed for Egypt's security HQ explosion, gov't vows full implementation of roadmap". Xinhua News Agency. 25 December 2013. Archived from the original on 25 January 2014.
- ^ "Car bomb attack on Egypt police building kills 14". Bangkok Post. 24 December 2013.
- ^ "At Least 14 Dead in Explosion at Security Center in Egypt". Arutz Sheva. 24 December 2013.
- ^ a b "Death toll from Egypt's Mansoura blast rises to 16". Journal of the Turkish Weekly. 26 December 2013. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013.
- ^ "Mansoura death toll rises to 16, mostly policemen". Al-Ahram. 25 December 2013.
- ^ "Egypt: 16 Killed in Attack, Says Forensic Report". Prensa Latina. 25 December 2013.
- ^ "Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis claims responsibility for Mansoura bombing". Egypt Independent. 25 December 2013.
- ^ a b "Sinai's Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis claim responsibility for Egypt's Mansoura blast". Al-Ahram. 25 December 2013.
- ^ "14 die in bomb attack on police HQ in Egypt". Irish Independent. 24 December 2013.
- ^ a b "Deadly blast rocks Egyptian police station". Al Jazeera. 24 December 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
- ^ "Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood declared 'terrorist group'". BBC. 25 December 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2014.