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A8 WORLD NEWS
Monday 27 noveMber 2017

Egypt reeling from attack on mosque in Sinai that killed 305

By MAGGIE MICHAEL they shot at them, repelling
HAMZA HENDAWI them as they got back into
Associated Press their vehicles and fled.
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt was Friday’s attack targeted
reeling Sunday from the a mosque frequented by
horrific militant attack on Sufis, members of a mystic
a mosque in northern Sinai movement within Islam. Is-
that killed 305 people two lamic militants, including
days earlier — the deadli- IS, consider Sufis heretics
est assault by Islamic ex- because of their less literal
tremists in its modern history interpretations of the faith.
and a grim milestone in a Egypt’s chief prosecutor,
long-running fight against Nabil Sadeq, said the at-
the insurgency led by an tackers, some masked,
Islamic State affiliate. numbered between 25
Survivors and Egypt’s top and 30. Those with bare
prosecutor have given ac- faces sported heavy
counts of the massacre beards and long hair, his
that unfolded as more than People gather at Al-Rawda Mosque in Bir al-Abd northern Sinai, Egypt a day after attackers killed statement added. Clad in
two dozen assailants, car- hundreds of worshippers. Friday’s assault was Egypt’s deadliest attack by Islamic extremists in the military-style camouflage
rying a black IS banner, un- country’s modern history, a grim milestone in a long-running fight against an insurgency led by a pants and black T-shirts,
leashed gunfire and explo- local affiliate of the Islamic State group. one of them carried a
sions during Friday prayers (AP Photo/Tarek Samy) black banner with the dec-
at the Al-Rawdah Mosque the estimated 500 people ents and siblings mowed great, as they fired on the laration of the Muslim faith
in a sleepy village by the inside. down by gunfire or shred- worshippers. — there is no God but Al-
same name near the small The worshippers screamed ded by the blasts. So composed were the lah and Muhammad is his
town of Bir al-Abd. and cried out in pain. A When the violence final- militants that they methodi- prophet.Despite the ban-
The attackers arrived in five stampede broke out in the ly stopped, 305 people, cally checked their victims ner, IS still has not claimed
SUVs, took positions across rush toward a door leading including 27 children, for any sign of life after the responsibility for the attack.
from the mosque’s door to the washrooms. had been killed and 128 initial round of blazing gun- Survivors of the bloodshed
and windows, and just as Others tried desperately wounded. fire. Those still moving or spoke to The Associated
the imam was about to to force their way out of One of the witnesses, Ebid breathing received a bullet Press on Saturday in the
deliver his sermon from the the windows. Those who Salem Mansour, recalled to the head or the chest, Suez Canal city of Ismailia,
pulpit, they opened fire survived spoke of children how the attackers shout- the witnesses said. When where some of the wound-
and tossed grenades at screaming as they saw par- ed Allahu Akbar, or God is the ambulances arrived ed are hospitalized.q
Saudi crown prince leads Islamic military alliance meeting

By JON GAMBRELL However, the alliance crown prince also recently each other.”“The biggest 305 people.“This is indeed a
Associated Press doesn’t include Iran, Iraq put a number of wealthy danger of this terrorism and painful event and it is a re-
DUBAI, United Arab Emir- or Syria, while member na- princes, businessmen, mili- extremism is the tarnishing current and strong remind-
ates (AP) — Saudi Arabia’s tion Qatar sent no one to tary leaders and others un- of the reputation of our be- er the dangers of this terror-
assertive crown prince on attend the one-day Riyadh der arrest over corruption loved religion. ... We will not ism,” he said.The meeting
Sunday opened the first gathering amid a diplo- allegations at various luxury allow this to happen,” he did not include Iran, which
high-level meeting of a matic standoff between hotels in Riyadh.The alli- said. “Today we start the has aided embattled Syr-
kingdom-led alliance of Doha and four Arab na- ance, initially announced pursuit of terrorism and we ian President Bashar Assad
Muslim nations against ter- tions led by the kingdom. with 34 nations, now in- see its defeat in many fac- in his country’s civil war and
rorism, vowing that extrem- Saudi Arabia announced cludes 41, according the ets around, the world espe- backed Shiite militias cru-
ists will no longer “tarnish the alliance in Decem- Saudi government. Ad- cially in Muslim countries. ... cial in pushing the Islamic
our beautiful religion.” ber 2015, when the crown dressing the defense minis- We will continue to fight it State group out of Iraq. The
Mohammed bin Salman’s prince was still only the ters and other high-ranking until we see its defeat.” Sunni kingdom is the Shi-
words come as the Islamic kingdom’s defense minis- officials, Crown Prince Mo- The crown prince also of- ite power’s archrival in the
State group, which sparked ter. Since then, his father hammed said Sunday’s fered his condolences to Mideast and remains con-
the creation of the alliance, King Salman has elevated meeting sends “a strong Egypt, which suffered an cerned about its influence
has been driven out of Iraq the 32-year-old prince to signal that we are going to attack Friday by Islamic in the region after Tehran’s
and lost its self-described be next in line for the throne work together and coordi- militants on a mosque in 2015 nuclear deal with
capital in Syria. in the oil-rich kingdom. The nate together to support northern Sinai that killed world powers. q