Egypt mosque attack: At least 75 killed in bomb and gun assault in North Sinai

At least 75 people have been killed after suspected militants set off a bomb and opened fire at a mosque in Egypt’s restive northern Sinai province. 
The attack on Friday targeted supporters of the security forces attending prayers there, two eyewitnesses and a security source said.
Eyewitnesses at Al Rawdah mosque in Bir al-Abed, near Arish city, told local media that those who were not killed in the blast and tried to run away were gunned down. 
Unverified pictures on social media showed dozens of bodies, clothes soaked with blood, laid out on the mosque’s floor.  Others showed ambulances lining up  at the mosque’s entrance to take the wounded to nearby hospitals. 
A total of 75 people had been confirmed dead, a health ministry spokesperson said, adding it is feared the toll will rise.
Egypt has been fighting a vicious Isis insurgency in Sinai for the last three years. Friday’s attack comes after a spate of recent bombings targeting the police and army. 
 
While most militant attacks target the security forces, hundreds of civilians have been killed in the violence.  Attacks outside the region have targeted Egypt’s Christian minority. 
President Abdel Fattah al Sisi has convened an emergency security meeting in Cairo. 
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