A suicide bomber armed with an AK-47 stormed into Saint Elias Greek Orthodox church in Damascus during Sunday evening mass, detonating his explosives after being wrestled to the ground by three congregants.
The blast hit 250 worshippers just 15 minutes into the service, killing 25 people, including children, and injuring 63 others.
The attack represents the deadliest assault on Syria's Christian community since Bashar al-Assad's fall seven months ago, prompting international condemnation from world leaders and religious authorities.
Syria's interior ministry initially blamed the Islamic State for the massacre, announcing arrests of IS members within 48 hours.
A Christian police force accompanies a march held by Christian Syrians in the northeastern city of Qamishli to express support for families of victims of a suicide attack on a church in Damascus over the weekend
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The attack left 25 people dead
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The Syrian government also claimed to have 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, a little-known extremist group called Saraya Ansar al-Sunna claimed the bombing on Tuesday, naming the suicide attacker as Syrian national Muhammad Zain al-Abidin Abu Uthman.
Ansar al-Sunna denied any formal links to IS and claimed to have emerged from disaffected HTS members who split from President Ahmad al-Sharaa's forces during Assad's downfall.
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Christian Syrians hold a march to express support for families of victims of a suicide attack on a church in Damascus
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Rescue workers and civilians inspect the aftermath of the suicide bombing
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Research by British-Iraqi analyst Aymenn al-Tamimi revealed the group's commanders previously ran an undercover HTS recruitment department during the conflict with the Assad regime.
The extremist group condemned Sharaa's government 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.
The Syrian interior ministry rejected Ansar al-Sunna's claims as a false flag for IS, insisting the bomber and accomplice had deployed from the Al-Hol camp controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
The attack represents the deadliest assault on Syria's Christian community since Bashar al-Assad's fall seven months ago, prompting international condemnation from world leaders and religious authorities
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A little-known extremist group called Saraya Ansar al-Sunna claimed the bombing on Tuesday
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The SDF denied these allegations, calling them a political smear despite the camp's 40,000 population including IS-linked families.
In a funeral service following the attack, Patriarch John X told 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."
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