3-month state of emergency in Egypt after Palm Sunday church bombings kill 43

TANTA, Egypt (AP) - JUST IN, 3:20pm SUNDAY: Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to declare state of emergency for three months after taking legal measures.

Bombs exploded at two Coptic churches in different cities in northern Egypt as worshippers were celebrating Palm Sunday, killing at least 43 people and wounding about 100 in an assault claimed by the Islamic State group.

"The bombings of two Coptic Orthodox churches in Egypt today are shocking and outrageous. The number of recent attacks targeting Coptic Egyptians - who have been an integral part of Egyptian society for generations - are a profoundly disturbing trend.
"President Sisi and the Egyptian government must bring the perpetrators of this heinous act to justice and do more to ensure that all people are able to freely exercise their religious beliefs without fear of violence.
"My prayers are with the victims, their families, and the Coptic community here in New Jersey, in Egypt, and around the world."