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1st LD Writethru: UN chief slams deadly terrorist attack in Cairo

Xinhua, December 12, 2016 Adjust font size:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday condemned a terrorist attack in a church in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, which left at least 25 people dead, and voiced his hope that the perpetrators of this horrific terrorist act will be swiftly brought to justice.

The secretary-general condemned the attack in St. Peter's Church, attached to St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo, which also injured 49 people, said a statement issued here by Ban's spokesman.

"The secretary-general expresses his deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the government and people of the Arab Republic of Egypt," the statement said.

"He wishes a quick recovery to those injured and hopes that the perpetrators of this horrific terrorist act against a place of worship will be swiftly identified and brought to justice," the statement added.

Earlier on Sunday, the UN Security Council "condemned in the strongest terms" the terrorist attack in Cairo, and stressed that "those responsible for these killings should be held accountable."

The 15-nation UN body, in a press statement issued here, described the attack as being "heinous and cowardly."

"The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security," the council statement said.

A bomb went off inside the church in Cairo's Abassiya neighborhood that was full of worshippers attending Sunday mass, leaving 25 people dead and 49 others injured, 10 of them in critical condition, reports said.

Local news reports said that initial inspections revealed that the blast was caused by a 12-kilogram highly-explosive TNT bomb.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. However, fingers are pointed at the Islamic State-affiliated Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (ABM) group which operates in the country's restive North Sinai province. Enditem