Tanta — The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for bombing two Egyptian churches as worshippers gathered to mark Palm Sunday, killing at least 38 people in one of the deadliest attacks on the Coptic Christian minority in the North Africa state. The attacks followed a Cairo church bombing in December and came weeks ahead of a planned visit by Catholic Pope Francis intended to show support for the country’s Christian minority. The first bombing struck the Mar Girgis church in the city of Tanta north of Cairo, killing 27 people, the health ministry said. Emergency services had scrambled to the scene when another bombing rocked the Saint Mark’s church in Alexandria where Coptic Pope Tawadros II had been leading a Palm Sunday service. Eleven people were killed in that attack, which the interior ministry said was caused by a suicide bomber who blew himself up when police prevented him from entering the church. The ministry said Tawadros was unharmed, and a church official sai...
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