The incident resulted in 20 fatalities and over 52 injuries. ISIS is suspected to be behind the bomb blast.
A suicide attack occurred during a prayer service at a church in Damascus, the capital of Syria. The attack resulted in the deaths of 20 people, with over 52 more injured. The incident caused widespread panic in the area.
According to Syria's state news agency, the attack targeted the St. Elias Church in the Dwiela district of Damascus. Twenty people were killed, and over 52 were injured. While no group has yet claimed responsibility, the Syrian government suggests that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) may be behind the attack.
The country's Interior Ministry stated in a press release that an ISIS terrorist entered St. Elias Church, opened fire, and then detonated a suicide vest. Syria's Information Minister, Hamza Mustafa, condemned the attack, calling it a cowardly act against the civic values that unite them. He asserted that they would not be deterred from their shared civic commitment.
Months ago, long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad was removed from power, and former militia commander Ahmad al-Shara took the reins of the interim government. Following this, he stated that minority communities in Syria could live peacefully.
Ahmad al-Shara, also known as Mohammed al-Julani, was born in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Shortly after his birth, Shara's family moved to Syria, settling near the Golan Heights. When the US attacked Iraq, he decided to fight on Iraq's side, subsequently joining al-Qaeda. He was arrested by US forces and imprisoned in a Kuwaiti jail. Later, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a group that split from al-Qaeda, was formed to overthrow Assad's government in Syria. Shara became its leader. Following a regime change in Syria, Shara became the country's president.