by Marwa Yahya
CAIRO, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- Militants attacked a mosque during Friday prayers in Egypt's North Sinai, detonating a bomb and gunning down worshippers killing at least 235 in the deadliest ever attack on Egyptian civilians by Islamic extremists.
Striking at a mosque would be a change in tactics for the Sinai militants, who have usually attacked troops and police and Christian churches.
"This is the first time in Egypt modern history to experience an attack on a mosque," said Diaa Rashwan, chairman of the state-run State Information Service.
"It's an unprecedented attack which showed that militants are confused and weak because they adopted soft targets now," he added in an aired televised speech.
An explosive device planted outside the mosque near Arish city went off, before militants opened fire at the prayers, an official security source told Xinhua.
The attack occurred in the village of Rawda in Beir el-Abad, 40 km from Arish, the source added.
The militants opened fire from four off-road vehicles on the hundreds of worshippers attending the sermon in the mosque.
Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.
It is the first time a mosque is targeted by militants in Egypt. However, dozens of Christians have been killed in similar attacks on churches across Egypt.
Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi vowed on Friday a "fierce action" will be carried out in response to the attack, state-run TV reported.
"The army and police will avenge our martyrs and return security and stability with force in the coming short period," he said in a televised speech.
"The most prominent feature of the terrorist attack was that the militants changed their strategy from direct confrontations with the security forces into direct one with the ordinary people," Ahmad Atta, researcher with Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies told Xinhua.
The attack targeted a mosque frequented by Sufis, members of Islam's mystical movement. Islamic militants, including the local affiliate of the Islamic State group, consider Sufis heretics because of their less literal interpretations of the Islamic laws, Atta said.
The mosque belongs to Sawarka tribe with majority of prayers following Sufism, Atta said.
"That tribe was also known with its support for the armed forces in Sinai, and the Islamists considered them as traitors and spies," Atta added.
TV footages showed dozens of bloodied bodies wrapped up in sheets were laid across the mosque floor.
Relatives queuing up outside the hospital as ambulances raced back and forth.
Some 50 ambulances rushed to the scene after the attack. Most of the wounded were transferred to the Arish and Ismailia hospitals for treatment.
The death toll included women and children.
The Egyptian presidency declared a three-day period mourning across the nation.
The presidency in a statement condemned that terrorist attack as a treacherous and heinous action that wouldn't be passed without punishment.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he would call Egypt's Sisi to discuss the Friday's terrorist attack.
"Will be calling the President of Egypt in a short while to discuss the tragic terrorist attack, with so much loss of life," Trump said in a post on Twitter. The call is scheduled for 3 p.m. (2000 GMT), according to White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters.
Following the attack, Egypt has delayed the opening of the Egypt-Gaza Rafah border crossing due to security concerns after a North Sinai attack, state news agency MENA said on Friday.
The border was to reopen for three days to allow travel from both sides, the agency said.
Egypt has been experiencing a wave of anti-security attacks, centered mostly in North Sinai since the arm-led ouster of the Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 in response to mass protest against his rule.
The attacks, mostly claimed by IS affiliate in Sinai, left hundreds of army and policemen killed.
