Judicial sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm that investigations and DNA analysis results have revealed the identity of the perpetrators of the bombings of Tanta and Alexandria churches.
The sources said that the preliminary information indicates that the suicide bomber who carried out the terrorist attack at Mar Girgis church in Tanta was named by the "Islamic State" (IS) militant group Abu Ishaq al-Masri.
He was born in September 1990 in Sharqiya governorate, where he lived in Minya al-Qamh city. He obtained a bachelor of commerce and worked as an accountant in a private company in Kuwait in May 2016 before being sacked for political reasons. He traveled with one of his friends to Turkey, remaining there until August 2016. He then moved to Syria in January 2017, before appearing at the church and detonating himself, according to the same judicial sources.
The sources asked that the real names of the suspects in the two blasts not be published, for reasons relating to the criminal investigations.
The sources explained that the second suicide bomber who blew himself up in front of the gate of the St. Mark church in Alexandria is named by IS Abu al-Baraa al-Masry. He was born in December 1974 in the in Kafr al-Sheikh, where he obtained a vocational secondary diploma and worked for more than one company. He traveled to Libya several times and then to Lebanon once, before heading to Syria. He left behind a wife and three children.
According to the sources, the security services arrested two relatives of the suspects to match the results of the DNA analysis which showed conformity with each other.
The father of the first suspect (Tanta) and the brother of the second suspect were interrogated by security services to find out the route of the suspects and those who had been communicating with them recently.
The father said he did not know anything about his son for nearly four months; and that his son contacted him once two months ago and said he was working in Turkey and in good health. He tried to convince his brother to travel abroad to look for work, said the father of the suspect in the Tanta church bombing.
The brother of the suspect in the Alexandria church bombing said that his brother traveled to Libya several times, staying there almost three months each time. The family did not know how he traveled or how he returned every time. He called his wife about 25 days ago to check on his children, saying he would be back soon.
Prosecutors' examination of the sites of the explosions showed that the same type and amount of explosive material, and the same jacket, even, were worn by the two suicide bombers, said sources with the public prosecution's office.
The sources speculated that the same terrorist group equipped the two suicide bombers, facilitated the operations for them and their movement; and provided them with accommodation before the attacks.
The sources said that 28 suspects were arrested, including eight suspected of being directly involved in planning and funding the bombings, according to investigation.
