Egypt declares state of emergency following deadly Coptic church blasts


In the wake of twin suicide bombings at Coptic Christian churches that left at least 44 people dead, Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday declared a three-month state of emergency.
Parliament now needs to approve the measure, which will permit authorities to search homes and make arrests without warrants. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the blasts Palm Sunday at St. George's Coptic Church in Tanta, which killed 27 people, and outside of St. Mark's Coptic Church in Alexandria, which left 17 people dead. Christians make up about 10 percent of Egypt's population.
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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