Egyptian air force jets have destroyed vehicles used in the Sinai mosque attack and “terrorist” locations where weapons and ammunition were stocked, the army spokesman said. The planes “destroyed several vehicles used in the attack,” Tamer el-Refai said, adding they had also targeted “terrorist spots containing weapons and ammunition”. The death toll from the deadliest terrorist attack on Muslim worshippers at a mosque in Egypt’s restive North Sinai region was raised substantially to 305, which included 27 children, the state prosecutor said on Saturday.
General prosecutor Nabil Sadek said in a statement that another 128 people were wounded in the attack, when heavily-armed militants bombed the al-Rowda mosque in Al-Arish city and opened fire on people attending the Friday prayers. The death toll was reported at 235 on Friday. Sadek said the number of terrorists involved in the attack varied from 25 to 30, some of whom had raised the Islamic State flag during the attack. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.
The Egypt government announced three days of mourning, even as President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi chaired an emergency meeting with officials to review security after the attack. Egypt’s Army said in a statement that a number of terrorists have been killed in air strikes in North Sinai since the attack. The Army was conducting raids in the troubled region to eliminate terrorist hideouts.The Al-Ahram newspaper, citing a military source, reported that a military operation was underway in North Sinai.
