Syria Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 20, Injures Dozens More During Church Attack: 'Cowardly Act'

A suicide bomber attacked a church in Syria, killing at least 20 people, including several children, and injuring more than 50 others.

According to Reuters, the Associated Press and Al Jazeera, Syrian state media reported that an attacker opened fire inside a busy Greek Orthodox church in Dweil’a — located in the outskirts of Damascus — before detonating an explosive vest on Sunday, June 22.

Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that the country’s Health Ministry said at least 20 people were dead and 53 others were wounded inside Mar Elias Church, per the outlets.

Local media outlets also reported that children were among the dead.

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

“This cowardly act goes against the civic values that bring us together,” he wrote 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.”

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, per AP, but Syria’s interior ministry has said that the suicide bomber was a member of the Islamic State (sometimes known as ISIL or ISIS).

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According to Reuters and AP, the attack came amid statements from interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa that he will act to protect minority groups in the country, after former President Bashar al-Assad’s government was overthrown in December 2024.

One witness who spoke to AP and a Syrian security source who spoke to Reuters said that a second man was believed to have been involved in the attack.      

The Greek foreign ministry also condemned the attack, telling Reuters in a statement: “We unequivocally condemn the abhorrent terrorist suicide bombing at the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus, Syria.”

“We demand that the Syrian transitional authorities take immediate action to hold those involved accountable and implement measures to guarantee the safety of Christian communities and all religious groups, allowing them to live without fear,” the statement continued.

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Witnesses who spoke to AP said the gunman entered the church during mass with his face covered and first began firing a gun. People inside the church charged at the shooter to try and force him outside, and he then detonated his explosives near the entrance of the building.

“People were praying safely under the eyes of God,” Father Fadi Ghattas told the AP, adding that he saw at least 20 people killed. “There were 350 people praying at the church.”

Photographs taken in the aftermath of the attack show emergency personnel with the Syrian Civil Defense — whose emergency teams are widely known as the White Helmets, according to the BBC — helping the injured into ambulances.

A bystander named Issam Nasr, who was praying at the church, told the outlet that he saw people “blown to bits.”

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