Egypt Under Emergency Rule After IS Church Bombings Kill 45

Cairo: Hundreds gathered Monday to mourn 45 Egyptian Christians killed in jihadist bombings just a week before Easter, after Cairo declared a state of emergency following the attacks on two churches.

The Islamic State group said it was behind the twin bombings that targeted Palm Sunday services at churches in the cities of Tanta and Alexandria, and threatened further attacks against Egypt's Christian minority.

Sunday's first bombing at the Mar Girgis church in Tanta city north of Cairo killed 28 people, the health ministry said.

Mourners filled the Saint Mina monastery west of Alexandria on Monday as they bade farewell to the victims of the deadliest attacks in recent memory on Egypt's Coptic Christian minority.Combing for clues

The victims' wooden coffins were placed near the altar amid applause as mourners saluted their "martyrs".

During the funerals, angry crowds denounced the security services and Interior Minister Magdy Abdel Ghaffar.

In Alexandria on Monday, investigators combed for clues and took pictures of the debris produced by the blast.

A handful of black-clad women showed their identification papers to guards before being allowed to enter the church.

"I'm so sad, I cannot speak," said one mourner, a woman in her 40s.

In addition to the death toll of 45 from the two explosions, scores more people were wounded and 35 remained in hospital on Monday.

The state of emergency came into effect at 1:00 pm (1100 GMT).

Constitutionally, it still has to be presented to and approved by parliament within seven days, but this is a formality given the number of pro-Sisi delegates.

US President Donald Trump called Sisi after the bombings to express his condolences, Washington said on Monday.

Lawmakers said the state of emergency -- Egypt's first since widespread unrest in 2013 -- would help the country face down a jihadist insurgency.

IS has staged deadly attacks in the Sinai Peninsula against security forces.

Copts, who make up about one tenth of Egypt's population of more than 92 million, have been targeted several times in recent months.

Attacks in the Sinai, including the murder of a Copt in the city of El Arish whose house was also torched, prompted some Coptic families to flee.

Sunday's Alexandria bombing was especially concerning for the Copts, as Pope Tawadros II had led the Palm Sunday service at Saint Mark's but left before the explosion.

Sisi has defended the performance of his security forces and accused jihadists of trying to divide Egyptian society by attacking vulnerable minorities.