Saudi Leadership Condoles Egypt over Victims of Church Fire

Burned furniture, including wooden tables and chairs, are seen at the site of a fire inside the Abu Sifin Coptic church that killed 41 people, in the densely populated neighborhood of Imbaba, Cairo Egypt, Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022. (AP)
Burned furniture, including wooden tables and chairs, are seen at the site of a fire inside the Abu Sifin Coptic church that killed 41 people, in the densely populated neighborhood of Imbaba, Cairo Egypt, Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022. (AP)
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Saudi Leadership Condoles Egypt over Victims of Church Fire

Burned furniture, including wooden tables and chairs, are seen at the site of a fire inside the Abu Sifin Coptic church that killed 41 people, in the densely populated neighborhood of Imbaba, Cairo Egypt, Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022. (AP)
Burned furniture, including wooden tables and chairs, are seen at the site of a fire inside the Abu Sifin Coptic church that killed 41 people, in the densely populated neighborhood of Imbaba, Cairo Egypt, Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022. (AP)

The Saudi leadership offered on Sunday its condolences to Egypt over the victims of the Coptic church fire.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz sent a cable to Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, expressing his deep sympathy over the incident.

He underlined his profound sorrow to Sisi and families of the deceased, wishing the injured a quick recovery.

He appealed to God Almighty to protect Egypt’s president and people from any harm.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, sent a similar cable.

A fire ripped through a packed Coptic Orthodox church during morning services in Egypt’s capital on Sunday, quickly filling it with thick black smoke and killing 41 worshippers, including at least 15 children.

Several trapped congregants jumped from upper floors of the Martyr Abu Sifin church to try to escape the intense flames, witnesses said.

Sixteen people were injured, including four policemen involved in the rescue effort.

The cause of the blaze at the church in the working-class neighborhood of Imbaba was not immediately known. An initial investigation pointed to an electrical short-circuit, according to a police statement.



US Secretary of State Arrives in Saudi Arabia

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is received by Saudi Arabia's Deputy Minister for Protocol Affairs Abdulmajeed al-Smari upon arrival at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on February 17, 2025. (AFP)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is received by Saudi Arabia's Deputy Minister for Protocol Affairs Abdulmajeed al-Smari upon arrival at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on February 17, 2025. (AFP)
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US Secretary of State Arrives in Saudi Arabia

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is received by Saudi Arabia's Deputy Minister for Protocol Affairs Abdulmajeed al-Smari upon arrival at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on February 17, 2025. (AFP)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is received by Saudi Arabia's Deputy Minister for Protocol Affairs Abdulmajeed al-Smari upon arrival at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on February 17, 2025. (AFP)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday as part of a regional tour he kicked off in Israel on Sunday.

He is expected to hold talks with Saudi officials on bilateral ties and regional cooperation, as well as push forward peace efforts in the region.

Riyadh is hosting on Tuesday talks on the Ukraine war ahead of a summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump last week spoke to Putin by phone and ordered top officials to begin negotiations on the war, which he repeatedly vowed to end during his presidential campaign.

Rubio, who spoke by phone with his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday, will meet Russian officials in Saudi Arabia alongside Trump's national security adviser Mike Waltz and White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, a US lawmaker and a source told Reuters. It was not immediately clear who they would meet from Russia.