Eyewitnesses of the blasts that took the lives of 49 Egyptian Coptic Christians have spoken of the horror of the events.
The Coptic Pope, Tawadros II, narrowly escaped injury in one of the atttacks. He told local television that 'sinful acts will not undermine the unity and coherence of the Egyptian people in the face of terrorism'.
Two bombs were exploded, one in St George's Cathedral in the Nile Delta city of Tanta, killing 25 people and injuring at least 78, followed by a second at St Mark's Cathedral in Alexandria, where Tawadros had just celebrated mass. Eighteen worshippers and four police officers were killed, and 35 were injured.
Abanoub Gamal, a member of St George's, told World Watch Monitor: 'I was standing behind the back pews, next to the church door. At about 9.05am I noticed a man wearing a brown jacket enter the church and walk among the pews from the back to the front ... [He] stood in front of the church altar and he then exploded himself.'
He continued: 'Then there was a huge explosion, the lights went off, all the people screamed, the situation was terrible. The church was filled with the bodies of the dead, body parts and the injured. Blood was splattered all over the place and reached the church ceiling.'
Gamal said he believed the Bishop of Tanta, Paula, was targeted but escaped death because he was not the celebrant at yesterday's Mass. However, 'the blast destroyed his chair by the altar'.
Video footage shows a robed male choir singing in the moments before the explosion, when the picture cuts out and shouting and screaming can be heard. Most victims were men and many were deacons because the suicide bomber detonated his vest near to the pews in which the men sit.
Mobile phone footage from the moments after the blast shows palm fronds in pools of blood, the floor of the church spattered with in blood, dust and masonry, and the decapitated body of one of the dead being carried out on a stretcher. One woman is heard screaming hysterically, while other members of the congregation move pews to get to the injured.
Eyewitnesses said of the Alexandria attack that the suicide bomber tried to enter the church as worshippers were leaving. A member of the congregation, Mina Makram, said one of the cathedral's guards, a man named Nasim, 'stopped him, prevented him from entering the cathedral, and asked him to pass through a metal detector first. The man entered the detector briefly, then took a step back and exploded the suicide vest he was wearing under his jacket.'
She said Nasim's actions had saved many lives, including that of Pope Tawadros, at whom she said she believed the attack was aimed.
'Pope Tawadros was targeted to be killed... if this suicide bomber had been able to enter the church, the number of the victims would have been more,' she said.
Sameh Fahim, who had attended the papal mass, told World Watch Monitor: I walked just 20 metres out of the church and heard the sound of a huge explosion. White dust filled the place, body parts were flying through the air, people were screaming and running in the street. One was screaming, "My son!",another was screaming, "My wife!"; and another was screaming, "My grandson!", as they searched for their loved ones. I saw body parts like a body without a head; it was a terrifying sight.'
The attacks have been widely condemned and raise questions about the protection afforded to Egypt's Christian citizens by its government. Grand Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, head of Egypt's Al-Azhar University, the seat of Sunni learning, said it was a 'despicable terrorist bombing that targeted the lives of innocents'.
A local Christian known as 'Nehemiah', who works to support Christians under pressure for their faith in Egypt, told World Watch Monitor he feared some Christians would be too scared to attend the daily church services that will take place throughout the rest of Holy Week.
He added: 'One of the most joyful days for Christians in Egypt is Palm Sunday. To prepare for that day, parents buy palm leaves for children the day before and weave them together and decorate them with spring roses, so that children can carry them happily the next day to church and place them near the pulpit... But that joyful day turned into a painful tragedy.
'My soul is bitter and my spirit is crying in pain and agony. Lord have mercy on Egypt, Lord unveil the dark spirit of deception and show Your light, Lord help Your children to continue to be people with guts, courage and strong convictions, and may Your name be glorified even in the middle of death, pain and devastation.'
