Suicide bomber kills at least 22 in Greek Orthodox church in Syria

DWEILA, Syria — A suicide bomber in Syria opened fire and then detonated an explosives vest inside a Greek Orthodox church filled with people praying on Sunday, killing at least 22 and wounding 63 others, state media reported.

The attack took place inside the Mar Elias Church in Dweila, on the outskirts of Damascus, according to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency, or SANA, citing the Health Ministry’s figures for the casualty toll. Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 19 people were killed and dozens wounded, but did not give exact numbers. Some local media reported that children were among the casualties.

The attack on the church was the first of its kind in Syria in years, and comes as Damascus, under 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 nation.

No group immediately claimed responsibility Sunday. Syrian Interior Ministry spokesman Noureddine Al-Baba said in a news conference that a preliminary investigation points to the extremist group Islamic State. The ministry said one gunman entered the church and fired at the people inside before detonating his explosives vest. Some witness testimonies supported that account.

“The security of places of worship is a red line,” he said, adding that Islamic State and remaining members of the former government of ousted President Bashar Assad are trying to destabilize Syria.

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

“This cowardly act goes against the civic values that brings us together,” he said on X. “We will not 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.”

Witnesses said the gunman entered with his face covered and fired at the people. When a crowd charged at him to remove him from the church, he detonated his explosives at the entrance.

Syrian Social Affairs and Labor Minister Hind Kabawat met with the clergy at the church in the evening to express her condolences.

“People were praying safely under the eyes of God,” Father Fadi Ghattas said. There were 350 worshipers praying at the time, and he saw at least 20 killed, he said.

Meletius Shahati, a church priest, said a second gunman who shot at the church door before the bomber detonated his explosives.

Issam Nasr, who was praying at the church, said he saw people “blown to bits.”

“We have never held a knife in our lives. All we ever carried were our prayers,” he said.

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

Shaheen and Chehayeb write for the Associated Press and reported from Dweila and Beirut, respectively.