ALEXANDRIA, Egypt, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Egypt says it is investigating a group inspired by al-Qaida in connection with the deadly New Year's Eve bombing of a church in Alexandria.
Egyptian security forces were holding seven people in custody following the bombing of Coptic Christian worshipers as they left a midnight mass, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported.
President Hosni Mubarak condemned what he termed an attack "on all Egyptians" by "foreign elements."
Security experts point the finger of blame at al-Qaida, although no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed 21 and wounded dozens more.
"The technical aspects ... the large number of victims and the threats of al-Qaida in Iraq all point to al-Qaida's fingerprints," Diaa Rashwan of Cairo's al-Ahram center said.
Egyptian officials said the investigation was focusing on a local group of Muslims inspired by, but not directly linked to, al-Qaida.
Egypt's Coptic Christians, 10 percent of the country's population of 82 million, constitute the largest Christian community in the Arab world and often complain of discrimination, The Guardian said.
