Syrian authorities crack down on ISIS cell behind deadly Damascus church attack

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Syrian authorities announced on Monday the arrest of Islamic State (ISIS) affiliates connected to the deadly terrorist attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus, which killed 25 worshippers and injured 63 others during Sunday mass, according to the Syrian health ministry's final tally.

In a statement, the Syrian Interior Ministry said that, in cooperation with the General Intelligence Directorate, “security operations against terrorist cells linked to ISIS in the Damascus countryside” were conducted. These operations resulted in the arrest of a cell leader and five members, and the killing of two others.

The suspects were directly involved in Sunday’s attack on the Mar Elias Church in the Duwaila neighborhood of Damascus, where a suicide bomber affiliated with ISIS entered the church, opened fire on worshippers, and detonated an explosive vest.

The ministry noted that “one of those killed” during the raid “was the primary individual involved in facilitating the suicide bomber's entry into the church, and the other [person who was killed] was preparing to carry out a second terrorist act in another neighborhood of the capital."

Weapons, ammunition, explosive vests, and devices were seized during the raid, the ministry added, affirming that "these cowardly terrorist acts will only strengthen our resolve to pursue anyone who tries to tamper with the nation's security, and that the response against terrorist hubs will be firm and continuous."

The interior ministry’s crackdown on perpetrators came hours after Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed on Monday that Syrian authorities will “work tirelessly, mobilizing all our specialized security agencies, to apprehend everyone who participated in and planned this heinous crime, and bring them to justice to receive their just punishment."

He further emphasized “the importance of solidarity and unity, government and people, in confronting everything that threatens our security and the stability of our homeland."

The attack - described by the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) as the first suicide bombing in a church in Syria since the country's civil war erupted in 2011 - sparked worldwide condemnation.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday condemned the “terrorist attack” on the Mar Elias Church, urging the Damascus authorities to conduct a “full investigation” into the incident. “The UN remains committed to supporting the Syrian people in the pursuit of peace and justice,” he added.

A day prior, the UN’s Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen urged “all to unite in rejecting terrorism, extremism, incitement, and the targeting of any community in Syria.”

On behalf of President Donald Trump, the United States Ambassador to Syria, Tom Barrack, extended “condolences to the victims, families, and individuals impacted by the terrorist attack.” He added that these “terrible acts of cowardice have no place in the new tapestry of integrated tolerance and inclusion that Syrians are weaving.”

French President Emmanuel Macron slammed the attack as “despicable,” expressing “solidarity with the bereaved families and the injured. France supports the Syrian people in their fight against terrorism and for the return of peace,” Macron added.

Similarly, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul also deplored “the terrorist attack” in the “strongest possible terms,” emphasizing that “transitional justice and a policy of reconciliation” remain Berlin’s “clear expectation of the government in Syria.”

The European Union, in a statement, strongly condemned the attack as well, labeling it “a grave reminder of the need to intensify efforts against the terrorist threat and to ensure the enduring defeat of [ISIS] Daesh and other terrorist organizations.

“The EU stands in solidarity with the Syrian people and supports all efforts by the transitional authorities aimed at ensuring the security of all Syrians with no discrimination on the basis of ethnic and religious background,” the statement underlined.

The attack also prompted condemnations from a number of regional and Arab states, including Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.

Following a swift offensive in December, a coalition of opposition groups led by the now-dissolved Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) - headed by Sharaa - toppled the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. In late January, Sharaa was appointed Syria’s interim president and has since been scrambling to maintain a tight grip on security.

This is not the first such incident since Assad’s fall.

In mid-May, three people were killed and several others injured in an explosion caused by a vehicle rigged with explosives in the Deir ez-Zor countryside of eastern Syria.

However, considering its sectarian-based nature, the UK-based war monitor, SOHR, warned on Sunday that the attack on the Mar Elias church is fueling “renewed fears of attempts to destabilize sectarian coexistence” in Damascus and its surrounding regions.