Deadly blast hits Egypt’s city of Mansoura

Blast hit Egypt's city of Mansoura
(Image: Ahram Online)

Deadly blast rocked in Egyptian Nile Delta city of Mansoura (Daqahlia Security Governorate) on Tuesday morning. The double explosion caused terrible damages and devastation in the neighborhood and became the worst terrorist attack hit Egypt since Mohamed Morsy’s ouster on 3 July 2013.

According to the statements of Egypt’s Ministry of Health 15 people were dead and nearly 134 people injured as a result of the blast. Among the dead are at least 9 policemen, some bodies remain unidentified. In addition to that, Head of Mansoura Security Governorate was also among the wounded people.

The explosion ripped through the façade of the building of Security Headquarters damaging also the neighboring buildings including the buildings of city council, bank and theater. Several vehicles have been also damaged.

Thousands of the local residents have been helping during the rescue operations, with long lines formed in front of the hospitals, where the injured have been transferred, as the people wanted to donate blood.

Terrible explosion in Mansoura
(Image: Ahram Online)

Local residents are terribly shocked and angered with the explosion, many of them directly accuse Muslim Brotherhood and the group’s supporters of organizing the terrorist act in order to destroy security and threaten Egyptian people. Muslim Brotherhood is also known for its links to several Egyptian and foreign terrorist and militant groups.

According to the statements of the representatives of security forces and police, the cause of the blast was two bombs detonated simultaneously. One of them was allegedly on one of the floors of the Security headquarters’ building; another one was in the car parked nearby. Police reports about explosive-laden truck with extremely big amounts of explosives used in the attack.

Investigations are ongoing currently with the police questioning eye-witnesses and explosives’ experts working on the site of blast. According to the representative of Egypt’s Ministry of Interior, initial investigations showed that the cause of the blast was suicide bomber, as parts of human’s body have been found in the exploded car as well. The samples of them will be sent for the forensic and DNA expertise.

Destruction after Mansoura blast
(Image: Ahram Online)

Egypt’s Interim Minister Mohamed Ibrahim stated on Tuesday that this blast came as a retaliation to the violent dispersal of Muslim Brotherhood’s and pro-Morsy sit-ins in Cairo in August 2013 and the following crackdown on the Islamists. Thus the Minister stated that Muslim Brotherhood was clearly behind this blast, as it was act of revenge.

Egypt’s Armed Forces’ spokesperson Colonel Ahmed Ali has strongly condemned the recent terrorist attack in the official statement and declared Egypt’s Army will continue its crackdown on the Islamist terrorist and militant groups and organizations operating on the territory of Egypt and threatening its security.

Egypt’s interim Prime Minister Hazem El-Beblawy also made an official statement denouncing the blast and vowed to hunt down the perpetrators of the attack. He stated that it was an act of vandalism aimed to threaten Egypt’s security and obstruct the roadmap of the country’s transition imposed by the military after Mohamed Morsy’s ouster.

Double explosion hit Egyptian city of Mansoura
(Image: Haaretz)

Muslim Brotherhood has reacted fast on the accusations strongly denying them and stating their organization is not involved in the recent attack. They consider it as an attack against the unity of Egyptian citizens and demanded to find the perpetrators and to hold them accountable for this act.

Alliance for Support of Legitimacy, backing former President Mohamed Morsy and demanding his reinstatement as the President, has also condemned the blast and labeled it as a terrible “criminal incident”.

Meanwhile Islamist terrorist organization Ansar Beyt Al-Maqdis (Ansar Jerusalem) based in Sinai has declared its responsibility for Mansoura blast. This statement was made on their Twitter account and came several days after they warned Egyptian military and police of the coming attacks in Egyptian cities.

Egyptian interim President Adly Mansour declared three days of mourning in the country.