Egyptian Pres identifies church suicide bomber

World Today

Coffins are taken into ambulances after a funeral service for victims of a Sunday cathedral bombing, at the Virgin Mary Church, in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Dec. 12, 2016.(AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

Egypt’s President said he knows the identity of the suicide bomber behind a weekend church attack.

The announcement was made during a state funeral for the victims of Sunday’s attack on a Coptic Christian church in Cairo. 25 people were killed.

CCTV’s Adel El-Mahrouky reports.

Funeral held in Cairo as police detain three suspects. The victims of Sunday’s attack have been granted military funerals that the highest honor Egypt can bestow on the deceased.

As Egyptians mourn, side by side, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi led the funeral.

He used the opportunity to announce the preliminary results of the investigation into the attack. President Sisi has confirmed it was a suicide bomb blast, carried out by a 22-year-old man. He said three men and one woman have been taken into police custody, while another two suspects remain at large.

During their speeches, officials have stressed that the attack aims to fuel sectarian divisions in Egypt. But they insist it’s only made the country stronger.

Egypt’s Christian minority is furious and protests have broken out near the cathedral.

The suicide bombing has shaken the country. Since 2013, most terror attacks in Egypt have been carried out against the police or the military. It’s the first time in recent memory that civilians have been targeted. And some experts warn that it may not be the last.