At least 22 dead after suicide bomber attacks Orthodox church in Syria
At least 22 people have been killed and 63 others wounded after a suicide bomber attacked a church in Damascus, Syria.
The attack occurred during a Sunday service after a man opened fire in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Prophet Elias.
According to the interior ministry, after the man opened fire in the church, he detonated an explosive vest.
According to the BBC, the attacker was part of the terrorist organisation Islamic State (IS), though the group has not claimed the attack.
A witness of the attack, Lawrence Maamari, spoke to AFP news agency about the attack and recounted that 'someone entered [the church] from outside carrying a weapon' and began shooting.
Initial information on the attack revealed that the explosion happened at the entrance of the church, which killed several people inside and in the vicinity.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


7NEWS
3 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Arrests made after 145 people attacked with syringes at French annual street music festival
French police have detained twelve suspects after 145 people reported being pricked with syringes during the country's annual street music festival, officials said on Sunday. Millions of people took to the streets across France on Saturday evening for the Fete de la Musique, with authorities reporting 'unprecedented crowds' in Paris. Before the party, posts on social media had called for women to be targeted during the festivities. The interior ministry said 145 victims across the country had reported being stabbed with needles. Paris police reported 13 cases in the capital. Officials did not say if these were cases of so-called needle spiking with date-rape drugs such as Rohypnol or GHB, used by attackers to render victims confused or unconscious and vulnerable to sexual assault. 'Some victims were taken to hospital for toxicological tests,' the ministry said. In Paris, investigations were opened after three people including a 15-year-old girl and an 18-year-old male, reported being stabbed in separate incidents across Paris, prosecutors said. All three reported feeling unwell. Across France, 12 suspects have been arrested, the interior ministry said. Among them were four people in the southwestern city of Angouleme suspected of having targeted around 50 victims, said a police source. Apart from those suspects, more than 370 people were detained during the festival on various charges, including nearly 90 people in Paris. Fourteen participants in the festivities were seriously injured, including a 17-year-old hospitalised after being found sitting on the street with stab wounds to the lower abdomen. Thirteen members of law enforcement were also injured. The prefect of the Paris police, Laurent Nunez, said that 'no major incident has been reported'. — With Agence France-Presse

ABC News
4 hours ago
- ABC News
Suicide bombing on Syrian church kills at least 22, injures dozens
At least 22 people have been killed and 63 injured in a suicide bombing at a church in Syria's capital of Damascus, according to state media. WARNING: This story contains distressing content. Worshippers had gathered for a packed Sunday service at the Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighbourhood when the attack took place. The suicide bomber entered and opened fire, before detonating his explosive vest, Syria's interior ministry said in a statement. It said the suicide bomber was a member of Islamic State (IS). A security source told Reuters two men were involved in the attack, including the man who blew himself up. It is the first suicide bombing in Damascus since Bashar al-Assad was toppled by an Islamist-led rebel insurgency in December. The blast sparked panic and fear in the church, which had been full of worshippers, including children and the elderly, eyewitnesses said. The building was strewn with wood from fittings and pews after the attack, with fallen icons and pools of blood on the floor. Families are still searching for missing loved ones, with some local media reporting children were among the dead. Lawrence Maamari was inside the church when the attack happened. He told AFP a man had entered and begun shooting, with people trying "to stop him before he blew himself up". Ziad Helou, who was at a shop nearby, said he heard gunfire then an explosion, and saw glass flying. "We saw fire in the church and the remains of wooden benches thrown all the way to the entrance," he said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was the first suicide attack inside a church in Syria since war erupted in 2011. IS has been behind several attempted attacks on churches in Syria since Mr Assad's fall. But a security source told Reuters this was the first to succeed. The Orthodox patriarchate in Damascus urged authorities to "bear full responsibility for what … is happening concerning the violation of the sanctity of churches, and to ensure the protection of all citizens". The United Nations special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, expressed "outrage at this heinous crime", calling for a full investigation. Syria's foreign ministry described the attack as "a desperate attempt to undermine national coexistence and to destabilise the country". Since the new authorities took power, the international community has urged the government to protect minorities and ensure their participation in Syria's transition, particularly after sectarian violence in recent months. Syria's interior minister, Anas Khattab, said specialised teams had begun investigating. "These terrorist acts will not stop the efforts of the Syrian state in achieving civil peace," he said in a statement. Earlier this month, he said IS had attempted to carry out attacks against Christian and Shiite communities that authorities had thwarted. Syria's Christian community has shrunk from about 1 million before the war to under 300,000 due to displacement and emigration. ABC/Wires

Sky News AU
4 hours ago
- Sky News AU
At least 22 dead after suicide bomber attacks Orthodox church in Syria
At least 22 people have been killed and 63 others wounded after a suicide bomber attacked a church in Damascus, Syria. The attack occurred during a Sunday service after a man opened fire in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Prophet Elias. According to the interior ministry, after the man opened fire in the church, he detonated an explosive vest. According to the BBC, the attacker was part of the terrorist organisation Islamic State (IS), though the group has not claimed the attack. A witness of the attack, Lawrence Maamari, spoke to AFP news agency about the attack and recounted that 'someone entered [the church] from outside carrying a weapon' and began shooting. Initial information on the attack revealed that the explosion happened at the entrance of the church, which killed several people inside and in the vicinity.