At least 235 people have been reportedly killed in an attack that took place at The al-Rawda mosque in Egypt.
The mosque, which is situated in Bir al-Abed, near al-Arish, was targeted during Friday prayers.
BBC reports that no group has claimed responsibility of the attack but there have been attacks on churches and security operatives by a group affiliated with Islamic State in the region.
However, this is the first major attack on a mosque
The IS-affiliate is also believed to be responsible for a 2015 bomb attack on a Russian plane carrying tourists which left 224 people dead in Sinai.
President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt has vowed to respond with “brute force” and declared a 3-day mourning for the victims.
Witnesses said gunmen arrived in vehicles, bombed the mosque and shot people who tried to escape.
The assailants were also reported to have set parked vehicles on fire to block off access to the mosque.
Local media reports that about 100 people were wounded in the attack.
“They were shooting at people as they left the mosque, they were shooting at the ambulances too,” a local resident who had relatives there told Reuters.
