Egyptian security services are continuing to carry out intensive investigations into the New Year's Eve bombing of a church in Alexandria.
Forensics experts are reportedly examining a decapitated head and two legs found in the blast debris in an effort to determine their indentities via DNA sampling. They also removed shrapnel from a man injured in the blast, which they believe may help identify the perpetrator–or perpetrators–of the deadly attack.
Police have also identified the owners of 12 out of the 13 automobiles that had been parked outside the church at the time of the explosion. They are reportedly still searching for the owner the 13th car, believed to be a foreigner.
The Interior Ministry has tasked several state agencies to investigate the case, including the state security services, the forensics department, the information department, and the general security services.
The forensics department is currently preparing a final report, expected to reveal whether the suspected suicide bomber was standing next to the car when he detonated himself or had pushed himself into a crowd of people leaving the church at the time of the blast.
“Our doctors have examined 18 bodies to date and are now working on taking DNA samples,” said Chief Coroner Al-Sebaay Ahmed al-Sebaay.
Notably, al-Sebaay denied that a decapitated head had been found among the debris.
The ministry's information department is also investigating the accounts of certain young Alexandrian bloggers on social networking website Facebook, in which they reportedly predicted some kind of catastrophe at the beginning of the year.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
