THE sleeper cell behind a deadly church bombing near Damascus belonged to the Islamic State group, which had plans to target a Shi’ite shrine in a similar attack, Syria’s Interior Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Sunday’s attack on the Mar Elias church killed at least 25 people. The attack was the first of its kind in Syria in years, and comes as Damascus, under jihadist rule, is trying to win the support of the country’s minorities.

Noureddine al-Baba told journalists a second attacker was caught on Monday on his way to target a Shi’ite shrine in the Sayyida Zeinab suburb in Damascus, where many sites of the Islamic sect are located. 

Mr Baba said security forces also thwarted a third operation, where an attacker on a motorbike was going to target a crowded gathering in the capital. He did not give further details.

Mr Baba said cell leader Mohammad Abdelillah al-Jumaili was an “IS leader” responsible for recruiting extremists from the sprawling al-Hol camp in north-eastern Syria to conduct attacks.

Dima Beshara, who lost her cousin Emil and seven other family members in the attack, said: “What did they do wrong? They went to the house of God to pray?” Ms Beshara said at the graveyard. 

“Am I supposed to be scared every time I want to go and pray?”