Egypt's interior ministry has identified the suicide bomber in the Alexandria cathedral attack as 31-year-old Mahmoud Hassan Mubarak Abdullah, a resident of Suez province, Xinhua reported.

Abdullah detonated his explosives at the entrance to Saint Mark's Cathedral, the historic seat of the Coptic Pope, killing 17 people as mass was being conducted.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said a three-month state of emergency would be imposed after two deadly bombings hit Coptic churches on Sunday, killing at least 44 people and injuring more than 100. An explosion at St George's Coptic church in Tanta killed 27 people. Hours later, a blast outside St Mark's Coptic church in Alexandria left 17 dead. Responsibility for attacks was claimed by the extremist organization Islamic State.