Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi on Sunday declared a three-month state of emergency following the two deadly bombings on Coptic churches.
"A series of steps will be taken, most importantly, the announcement of a state of emergency for three months after legal and constitution steps are taken," Sisi said in a speech aired on state television and quoted by Reuters.
Sisi also announced establishing a new council for combatting terrorism and extremism.
At least 44 people were killed in the two explosions on Sunday. The first explosion occurred in a church in Tanta, Egypt, when a terrorist blew himself up during a Palm Sunday ceremony.
Less than 12 hours later, a second explosion occurred in an Alexandria, Egypt church.
The Islamic State (ISIS) jihadist group claimed responsibility for the two explosions.
In late February, ISIS issued a video message vowing to target Christians, particularly in Egypt, saying Christians were their “favorite prey”, while showing footage of the December 2016 church bombing.