At least 200 killed in Egyptian mosque attack

Egyptians gather outside the scene of the mosque attack.

(Image credit: STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images)

published 24 November 2017

At least 200 people were killed Friday and more than 100 others injured when Islamist militants attacked a Sufi mosque in Egypt's Sinai province, state run news agency MENA reports. "I can't believe they attacked a mosque," one cleric from the town told The New York Times, speaking anonymously out of fear that he could also be attacked.

The attackers planted bombs inside the mosque, then fired on worshipers as they tried to flee, The Associated Press reports. Extremists in the region have targeted Christian churches in the past, but attacks on mosques remain relatively rare. The worshipers at the mosque attacked Friday were Sufi Muslims, who are considered heretical by Sunni extremists.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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