Egyptian President declares three-month state of emergency after terror attacks

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi has declared a three-month state of emergency after deadly terror attacks in the cities of Tanta and Alexandria.

"The state of emergency for coming three months is declared," Sisi said in a televised address, the Sputnik reported.

He also announced creation of the Supreme Council on fighting terrorism.

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has reportedly claimed responsibility for the two attacks on churches in Egypt that left at least 37 people dead and injured several others.

"A security detachment of the Islamic State carried out the attacks against the two churches in the cities of Tanta and Alexandria," the New York Times quoted an online statement shared by sympathisers and attributed to the militants as saying.

At least 26 people were killed in a bomb attack near a church in Egypt's Tanta, north of Cairo.

Another explosion occurred in front of St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria killing at least 11 persons.

The explosions took place when Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria, was leading the Palm Sunday mass, local media reports said.

The pope, however, has been reported unhurt in the blast.