One year after Mar Elias Church bombing: Justice still pending

In what appears to be a suicide attack, the Mar Elias Church in the Al-Dweilaa district of Damascus was targeted during prayers on 22 June 2025, leaving dozens of victims. One year later, where has the case reached? Have the perpetrators been tried?

22 June, 2026 03:30

NEWS DESK

MOHAMMED ABDO

The first anniversary of the Mar Elias Church bombing in the Al-Dweilaa district of Damascus falls today. The attack, which took place on 22 June 2025, resulted in the death of more than 27 people and the injury of 63 others, sparking widespread local and international condemnation.

The explosion occurred during religious rituals inside the church, when a suicide bomber detonated himself, while another attacker opened fire on those present.

A turning point for Christians

Despite a full year having passed, many representatives of the Christian community continue to express fears that such an incident could be repeated in the future.

Patriarch John X Yazigi, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East for the Greek Orthodox Church, previously held the interim government responsible for ensuring citizens’ protection, revealing the circumstances of the crime, and holding those responsible accountable. He stressed that the attack did not target Christians alone, but all Syrians.

The number of Christians, who made up 10% of Syria’s population before 2011, has declined to only 2%, as a result of a series of events that have affected the country, the latest being the Mar Elias Church bombing.

Following the attack, the Ministry of Interior in the interim government announced that preliminary investigations led to a cell linked to ISIS militants.

At the same time, a group calling itself “Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah” claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing. However, ISIS did not issue any official statement through its media channels claiming responsibility, contradicting the government’s account.

According to statements from the interim government and its Interior Ministry, the leader of the group that carried out the attack is named Mohammed Abdel Ilah Al-Jumaili, known as “Abu Imad.” He was arrested along with his group, but has not yet been brought before the judiciary despite a year having passed since the incident.

After a full year, the Mar Elias Church remains a symbol of an entire community’s fears of repeated tragedies, and a scar that continues to reflect the ongoing security challenges facing Syria in its current phase

ANHA