The state is determined to attain retribution for the victims of a bombing at Cairo’s main cathedral on Sunday, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said a day later, ahead of a state funeral for the 24 people killed.
El-Sisi stressed the need to redouble efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice, in a statement released on Monday.
President El-Sisi held a meeting with Prime Minister Sherif Ismail and a number of other senior officials to follow up on the investigations of the deadly attack and the security measures around the country, the statement added.
Twenty-four people were killed and 49 injured after a bomb exploded inside a church attached to the Coptic cathedral in Cairo on Sunday, one of the deadliest attacks on Egyptian Christians in recent years.
The president applauded the security efforts to counter terrorism, instructing the police and the armed forces to work with the utmost caution and vigilance to ensure the security and the safety of citizens.
El-Sisi hailed the unity of the Egyptian people against terrorism adding that these attacks “will only make Egyptians more determined to counter it.”
The meeting was also attended by Defence Minister Sedky Sobhy, Interior Minister Magdy Abdel-Ghafar, and representatives of the National Security Apparatus.
El-Sisi will attend a state funeral ceremony for the victims on Monday afternoon.
Egypt’s social solidarity ministry said in a press release on Monday that the victims’ families will receive compensation after investigations are concluded.
The ministry added that the deceased families will receive EGP 100,000, and an exceptional pension, as well as educational and health care, while those injured in the blast will receive EGP 30,000, per a cabinet decree on compensation.
Source: Ahram Online
