Suicide bomber behind attack on Coptic Christian church in Cairo, president says

CAIRO, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- A 22-year-old suicide bomber carried out an attack that killed 24 people at Cairo's Coptic Christian cathedral, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Monday at a state funeral for the victims.

"The man who entered the church and blew himself up is named Mahmoud Shafiq Mohamed Mostafa," he said during the service at the Unknown Soldier Monument. "His body was found onsite. He used an explosive belt."

The president said four people have been arrested, including one woman, for their role in the attack at the 100-year-old women's chapel, named after the former U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali. Authorities are looking for two others also, he said.

Before the funeral, the president met with Prime Minister Sherif Ismail and other senior officials for an update on the investigation. The original death toll was listed as 25, which includes the body of the bomber.

Sisi has declared three days of mourning in Egypt.

The victims' coffins arrived at the funeral by ambulance.

As the spiritual head of Egypt's Orthodox Christians, Pope Tawadros II led a service at Virgin Mary and St. Athanasius Church. Banners bearing the names of the dead hung on the walls.

St. Mark's Cathedral, which is adjacent to the damaged chapel, is the headquarters of the Coptic Orthodox Church, and the home of Pope Tawadros II.

Sunday's explosion happened at about 10 a.m. Sunday, coinciding with a national holiday in Egypt marking the birth of the Prophet Muhammad.

A security source told Egypt's official news agency MENA that the explosion was caused by a 26-pound TNT bomb.

Previously, the worst attack on Coptic Christians was when 23 people were killed in an explosion at the Two Saints Church in Alexandria in 2011.