Suicide bomber at Syrian church kills at least 9

DWEIL’A, Syria — A suicide bomber in Syria on Sunday detonated himself inside a church filled with people, killing at least nine, Syrian state media reported.

The explosion in Dweil’a in the outskirts of Damascus took place as people were praying inside the Mar Elias Church. SANA, citing the Health Ministry, said that at least 15 others were wounded. Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says there were 30 people wounded and killed, but did not give exact numbers. Some local media reported that children were among the casualties.

The attack was the first of its kind in Syria in years, and comes as Damascus, under its de facto Islamist rule, is trying to win the support of minorities. As President Ahmad al-Sharaa struggles to exert authority across the country, there have been concerns about the presence of sleeper cells of extremist groups in the war-torn country.

No group immediately claimed responsibility Sunday, but the Syrian Interior Ministry said an extremist from the Islamic State group entered the church, fired at the people there before detonating himself with an explosives vest, echoing some witness testimonies.

A witness who identified himself as Rawad told The Associated Press he saw the attacker, who was accompanied by two others, who fled as he was driving near the church.

“He was shooting at the church … he then went inside the church and blew himself up,” he said.

Syrian Information Minister Hamza Mostafa condemned the attack, calling it a terrorist attack.

“This cowardly act goes against the civic values that brings us together,” he said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “We will to back down from our commitment to equal citizenship … and we also affirm the state’s pledge to exert all its efforts to combat criminal organizations and to protect society from all attacks threatening its safety.”

Security forces and first responders rushed to the church. Panicked survivors wailed, as one lady fell to her knees and burst into tears. A photo circulated by Syrian state media SANA showed the church’s pews covered in debris and blood.