Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi declared a three-month state of emergency in an official speech at the presidential palace after a meeting with the national defense council. It comes after the churches bombings that killed dozens of people in Tanta and Alexandria earlier Sunday. The Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the suicide attacks on the Palm Sunday, according to a statement released by the IS terrorist group. The attacks killed about 44 people and injured scores. Al-Sisi expressed his condolences to the victims' families, asserting that the government will impose intensive measure, including the emergency state, after legal and constitution procedures are taken. He also instructed the creation of a "Supreme Council to Counter Extremism and Terrorism". The president pointed out, these terrorist attacks aim at disturbing the unity of the Egyptian people after they managed to thwart a "fascist terrorist organization's attempts" to take control of the country. Al-Sisi urges the international community to face countries that support terrorism, noting that it would be a long-term war where more Egyptians will sacrifice their souls. The Palm Sunday attacks took place less than a week after U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed the Egyptian leader to the White House. The two leaders had reaffirmed their commitment to working together to fight radical groups such as the IS group.
