(Eds: Updating toll)By Youssra El-SharkawyCairo, Nov 24 (PTI) At least 235 worshippers were killedand 109 others injured when heavily-armed militants bombed amosque and opened fire on people attending Friday prayers inEgypt's restive North Sinai region, in the deadliest terrorattack in the country.
The militants launched a targeted bomb and gun attack onthe al-Rowda mosque in Al-Arish city during the Fridayprayers, the state-run MENA news agency reported.
After the bomb ripped through the mosque, the gunmen onfour off-road vehicles opened fire on the worshippers whotried to escape from the site after the explosion, it said.
At least 235 worshippers were killed and 109 othersinjured in the attack, Ahram Online said.
Pictures from the scene show rows of bloodied victimsinside the mosque.
The blasts from improvised explosive devices causedconsiderable damage to the mosque, the website said.
Speaking to state-run Masriya TV station, Egyptian healthministry spokesman Khalid Mujahid described the incident as a"terrorist attack."One report said the target appeared to be supporters ofthe security forces who were praying at the mosque.
Local people are also quoted as saying that followers ofSufism, or Islamic mysticism, regularly gathered at themosque.
Islamist jihadist groups, including so-called IslamicState (IS), see Sufis as heretics.
About 50 ambulances were rushed to the attack site toshift the injured to hospitals.
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack andthere is no word yet on what happened to the militantsinvolved. However, it bears the hallmarks of an attack byISIS, reports said.
There have been regular attacks blamed on militants onthe Sinai peninsula since the January 2011 revolution thattoppled former president Hosni Mubarak, but this is thedeadliest assault of its kind.
The attacks targeting police and military increased afterthe ouster of Islamist ex-president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 bymilitary following massive protests against his rule.
Over 700 security personnel have been reported killedsince then.
The military has launched security campaigns in the area,arrested suspects and demolished houses that belonged toterrorists, including those facilitating tunnels leading tothe Gaza Strip.
The Egypt government has announced three days ofmourning, even as President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi chaired anemergency meeting with officials to review security situationafter the deadly attack.
Egypt has witnessed a series of terror attacks this yearclaiming scores of lives.
On May 26, gunmen attacked a bus carrying CopticChristians in central Egypt, killing at least 28 people andwounding 25 others.
On April 9, two suicide bombings at Palm Sunday servicesat churches in the northern cities of Alexandria and Tantaleft 46 people dead. PTI YES AMS KIS AKJNSA.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.