Saraya Ansar al-Sunna Claims Responsibility for Damascus Attack

Saraya Ansar al-Sunna, a relatively unknown fringe jihadist group, has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack on the Orthodox Church of Prophet Elijah in Damascus on Sunday.

According to the group's statement, the attack resulted in the death of at least 25 people and the injury of 63. The group stated that the attack was in retaliation for what it described as "provocations by Christians in Damascus" and threatened further attacks.

Syria's transitional president, Ahmad al-Sara, pledged that those responsible would be brought to justice. Syrian authorities had accused the Islamic State of the attack and announced arrests.

Saraya Ansar al-Sunna rejected the claims of the Syrian authorities, calling them "false and fabricated."

The group has claimed responsibility for an attack in February in the village of Arzeh in the Hamara province and has threatened individuals associated with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.