Suicide bomber with AK-47 stormed Saint Elias church during Sunday mass before detonating explosives after being wrestled to ground
A suicide bomber armed with an AK-47 stormed into a Greek Orthodox church in Damascus during Sunday evening mass, opening fire before detonating his explosives after being wrestled to the ground by brave congregants – killing at least 25 people, including children.
The horrific attack on Saint Elias Church in the Dweil’a neighbourhood represents the deadliest assault on Syria’s Christian community since Bashar al-Assad’s fall six months ago, sending shockwaves through religious minorities who fear for their future under the new Islamist-led government.
In a stunning twist, while Syria’s interior ministry initially blamed Islamic State for the massacre and announced arrests within 48 hours, a little-known extremist group called Saraya Ansar al-Sunna claimed responsibility on Tuesday – sparking confusion over who was truly behind the slaughter.
Bloodbath during Divine Liturgy
The attack unfolded at around 6pm on Sunday as approximately 350 worshippers gathered for evening Divine Liturgy at the Mar Elias Church.
According to witnesses, the gunman – his face covered – burst into the church and began firing indiscriminately at the congregation with his assault rifle.
People were praying safely under the eyes of God,” Father Fadi Ghattas told reporters, saying he saw at least 20 people killed with his own eyes.
As panic erupted, several brave congregants charged at the attacker in a desperate attempt to stop the carnage. It was at this moment, as the crowd tried to wrestle him to the ground and remove him from the church, that he detonated his explosive vest at the entrance.
Children among the victims
The blast sent bodies flying, shattered pews and masonry, and left the church floor covered in blood. Local media reported that children were among the 25 killed, with 63 others wounded – 12 critically.
I was preaching when the shooting began,” recalled Father Baselios, priest of nearby Saint Joseph Church. “Then came the screams. Everyone instinctively dropped to the ground. The fear… it was unspeakable. We were all in shock, paralysed by the horror.”
In a heartbreaking moment that captured the terror, Father Baselios revealed: “A child, one of those who’ve lost their family, rushed to me, saying, ‘Hide me, Father, I don’t want to die’.
Competing claims of responsibility
Syria’s Interior Ministry spokesman Noureddine Al-Baba quickly blamed the attack on Islamic State, claiming their preliminary investigation pointed to the extremist group.
The government said it had prevented two additional IS bomb plots targeting the Sayyida Zaynab Mosque and the Convent of Saint Thecla in Maaloula.
However, IS made no claim of responsibility for the church attack, despite maintaining an estimated 1,500 to 3,000 fighters across Syria and Iraq.
Instead, on Tuesday, Saraya Ansar al-Sunna claimed the bombing, naming the suicide attacker as Syrian national Muhammad Zain al-Abidin Abu Uthman.
‘False flag’ accusations fly
The Syrian government immediately rejected Ansar al-Sunna’s claim as a “false flag” for IS, with spokesman Al-Baba insisting the bomber and an accomplice had deployed from the Al-Hol camp controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
The SDF denied these allegations, calling them a political smear despite the camp’s 40,000 population including IS-linked families.
Syria-based analyst Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi revealed the group’s commanders previously ran an undercover HTS recruitment department during the conflict with the Assad regime, suggesting possible links to President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s former rebel group.
‘Convert, pay tax or die’: Extremist demands
The extremist group condemned Sharaa’s government as apostates for failing to implement Islamic Sharia law across Syria and demanded Christians convert to Islam, pay “jizya” tax or face death.
Ansar al-Sunna framed the bombing as retaliation for the Syrian government’s ban on Islamic proselytising in Damascus’s Christian Dweil’a area – a ban imposed after Salafists tried to proselytise in front of Mar Elias in late March.
‘Government bears full responsibility’
At Tuesday’s funeral service, Greek Orthodox Patriarch John X delivered a blistering message to President Sharaa: “We are a fundamental part of this country, and we will remain so.
The patriarch added: “We want to know who is behind this heinous crime. The government bears full responsibility.”
“Our people want security and peace. The government’s foremost duty is to ensure the safety of all citizens, without exception or discrimination.”
First massacre since 1860
Addressing Sharaa directly, the patriarch declared: “The heinous crime that took place at Mar Elias Church is the first massacre of its kind in Syria since 1860,” referring to the mass killings of Christians in Damascus under the Ottoman Empire.
The attack has resurfaced deep fears among Syria’s Christians, who have been anxious about their future since Sharaa – who led the Islamist rebel group Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham – swept into power in December.
Dwindling Christian population
Before the civil war broke out in 2011, Syria was home to more than 1.5 million Christians. Today, local religious officials estimate that number to be around 400,000.
The bombing followed other sectarian violence since Assad’s fall – in March, hundreds were killed in violence targeting the Alawite community, and in April, more than a hundred died when the Druze were attacked.
International condemnation
The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Geir O. Pedersen, expressed “outrage” at the “heinous crime.”
The Greek foreign ministry condemned the “abhorrent terrorist suicide bombing,” while the Arab League and Pope also offered condolences.
Muslims stand in solidarity
In remarkable scenes of unity, Muslims joined Christians at vigils across Syria, standing in solidarity with candles and carrying slogans like “We are united,” “They want to divide us but we are one” and “The blood of the martyrs is our blood.
In Christian neighbourhoods in Damascus, hundreds from all religious backgrounds took to the streets in protest, condemning the attack and urging the government to arrest those responsible.
Questions remain
As Syria’s new government struggles to maintain order and protect minorities, the church bombing has exposed the fragility of the post-Assad state.
Whether the attack was carried out by IS, as the government claims, or by the shadowy Ansar al-Sunna group with possible links to former HTS members, one thing is clear: extremist elements are determined to stoke intercommunal hatred and undermine Syria’s tentative peace.
For the traumatised congregation of Saint Elias Church and Syria’s remaining Christians, the massacre serves as a chilling reminder that their safety hangs by a thread in the new Syria.
Image credit: Photo by Dosseman, taken on 25 September 2010 of the interior of the Mariamite Cathedral (Greek Orthodox Patriarchate) in Damascus. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution–ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY‑SA 4.0)
Location: Inside the Patriarchal Cathedral complex on the Street Called Straight, Damascus, Syria.
Image page: View on Wikimedia Commons – “Damascus Greek Orthodox Patriarchate 9810.jpg”
