A security source in Civilian Protection confirmed an explosion took place on Tuesday in the vicinity of the Mar Mina Church on Al-Amin Street, in Al-Manakh suburb of Port Said. He added that bomb squads of the Civilian Protection of Port Said, headed by Brigadier-General Osama Farouk, shifted to the explosion’s location around Mar Mina Church in Port Said, where it was revealed that there was a sound producer comprising a gray colored pipe within a black plastic bag, which led to the explosion which caused no injuries. It was also discovered that there were two “bags” of benzene meters away from a minibus bearing metallic plates. Immediately, security forces confiscated the two benzene bags, assuring the public there had been no tangible or human losses.
On his part, Hegumen Father Timotha’us Shakir, pastor of Mar Mina’s Church in Al-Manakh, Port Said, said the explosion on Tuesday was around 400 km away from the location of the Mar Mina Church, indicating that the explosion came about as a result of planting two primitive bombs next to the Canal High School for Boys, and some popular housing areas under construction by the province [governorate], which led to no injuries or losses of human life or property.
He added the explosion merely caused a fire to ignite near the school’s fence, and Civilian Protection extinguished the inferno, based on which security forces and bomb squads combed the perimeter to ensure no other bombs were planted, while the crime scene investigation team lifted all material evidence from the crime scene to carry out a full investigation.
Hegumen Shakir clarified that till now causes of the incident are unknown, as are those behind it, and that due to God’s Grace, there were no passers-by on the path beside the two bombs, where security forces are working to gather information to find out who is behind this incident, which caused terror due to the loud explosion, confirming that the Church is at the end of the 400 meter road on which the bomb exploded, and there is no danger near the Church.
