Posted on 07/10/2015 11:44:35 PM PDT by Jyotishi
The blast happened days after Egypt leading prosecutor Hisham Barakat was killed in a car bomb.
A huge explosion occurred in front of the Italian consulate in central Cairo on Saturday, wounding two policemen, state news agency MENA said. The cause of the blast was not immediately clear but one security official said it was a car bomb. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
MENA cited a senior security source as saying preliminary investigations indicated that attackers had placed a bomb underneath a car near the consulate and remotely detonated it. MENA earlier cited a security source as saying two policemen were wounded in the attack.
Islamist militants have carried out roadside bombs and suicide bombing attacks which have so far targeted members of the security forces and officials. The violence, and political turmoil triggered by the 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak, have hurt Egypt's tourism industry, a pillar of the economy.
Media reports said an Egyptian was wounded by the blast. The blast occurred early in the morning on a weekend during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan - a time of day when there is little congestion. The MENA report cited witnesses as saying the explosion had caused massive destruction to the building. The force of the blast shook a building in downtown Cairo and could be heard in many neighbourhoods.
A Western diplomat said he was aware of the explosion in front of the consulate but could not confirm that the building was the target. A Sinai-based insurgency has escalated since the army ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi after mass protests against his rule in 2013.
Two weeks ago, a car bomb killed the country's top public prosecutor and militants affiliated to Islamic State attacked several military checkpoints in North Sinai, in what was the fiercest fighting in the region in years. The army said 17 soldiers and more than 100 militants were killed in those clashes. The blast happened days after Egypt leading prosecutor Hisham Barakat was killed in a car bomb. There was also a small blast outside Saudi Arabia consulate in the previous month.
As per Twitter posts, one person was said to have been killed. The posts spoke about windows being rattling due to the blast intensity.
#Egypt | More Photos from explosion at the Italian Consulate in Downtown #Cairo Photo Via @O_Elhady pic.twitter.com/Al15Dd5H9V
-- Mahmoud (@MaadMahmoud) July 11, 2015
A couple more photos from the Italian Consolate as the police hold me. 4 journalist held now. pic.twitter.com/J9RFBao6Xp
-- David Degner (@degner) July 11, 2015
With agency inputs
*sigh*
Updated stories now say that at least one person was killed.
All the fumes from the garlic in the garbage could have caused serious secondary explosions.
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