December 2013 Mansoura bombing

December 2013 Mansoura bombing
Part of the Post-coup unrest in Egypt
Location of Dakahlia Governorate in Egypt
Location	Mansoura, Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt
Date	24 December 2013 (2013-12-24) 1:10 am EST (UTC+02:00)
Target	Mansoura security directorate building
Attack type	Suicide-car bombing
Weapons	Improvised explosive device
Deaths	16
Non-fatal injuries	150
Suspected perpetrators	Government accuses the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.

The December 2013 Mansoura bombing occurred on the morning of Tuesday, 24 December 2013 in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura in Egypt. The target was the city's security directorate building that was partially collapsed after the attack. At least 16 people were killed, mostly policemen, while more than a hundred were injured, according to the Ministry of Interior. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing but Prime Minister Hazem Al Beblawi, on behalf of the interim government, was quick to blame the Muslim Brotherhood of being behind the attack, labeling it a "terrorist organization" for the first time since the ouster of Mohamed Morsi on 3 July earlier this year. Egyptian authorities also stated that the militants received logistical support from Hamas.Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, an Al-Qaeda-linked group in the Sinai Peninsula, released an online statement claiming responsibility for the blast but the government sounded determined that the Muslim Brotherhood was behind it and intensified its crackdown on the organization. The incident is now widely believed by many to be a turning point in the nation's history as the future of both the Islamists and Egypt's stability remain shadowed and unclear with several violent clashes and other bombings taking place across the country following its ban.

Details surrounding the bombing still remain unclear whether it was one or multiple bombs. According to a military statement, a car bomb was involved, while a security source from the Ministry of Interior mentioned a truck containing massive amount of highly explosive material was the cause of the attack. Some eyewitnesses also told prosecutors that they had seen a truck drive into the compound's restricted parking area seconds before the blast. However, explosive experts have not yet been able to fully identify the cause of the explosion and are still examining the site to determine whether the vehicle had been remotely detonated or exploded through a timer. The interior ministry and the military also ruled in the possibility of suicide bombing to be the cause of the attack with initial findings showing body parts inside an exploded vehicle near the site.Al-Ahram quoted an anonymous security source who said that two bombs exploded at the same time with the first exploding on a higher floor in the directorate while the second detonated in a car next to the building. A third bomb in another car was reportedly defused.