
Damascus (Syria) –On the night of 22nd June there was a suicide attack in Damascus’ Greek Orthodox Saint Elias Church; in which 22 were killed and 63 worshipers were injured. About 150 to 350 devotees were present in the Church at the time of the attack. A terrorist, associated with the Islamic State, entered the church and fired many rounds and then detonated himself using an explosive vest.
Syrian Information Minister Hamza-al-Mustafa’s statement after the terrorist attack was ‘this is an attack on the national unity of the country’ and appealed to all the citizens to maintain peace and calm in the city. The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Geir O. Pedersen, expressed “outrage” at the “heinous crime,” and demanded an investigation of the incident.