ISIS claimed responsibility on Tuesday for a suicide bombing at a Cairo church two days earlier that killed 24 Coptic Christians, highlighting a new escalation of violence in Egypt against civilians and Christians in particular.
In a statement circulated online, it said the bomber had killed and injured 80 people, vowing "to continue war against apostates." The Egyptian government had earlier released footage showing images said to be that of the alleged suicide attacker.
President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi on Monday identified the bomber as 22-year-old Mahmoud Shafiq Mohammed Mustafa in the attack, which killed mainly women. ISIS named the bomber by what appeared to be a nom de guerre, Abu Abdullah al-Masri.
