- Title: EGYPT-BLAST Cairo blast hits Italian consulate, one dead - state news
- Date: 11th July 2015
- Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (JULY 11, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF EXTERIOR OF DAMAGED ITALIAN EMBASSY BUILDING ITALIAN EMBLEM ON BUILDING RESIDENTS LOOKING ON DESTROYED BUILDING FRONT VARIOUS OF METAL FRAGMENTS OF VEHICLE PEOPLE / SECURITY WITH SNIFFER DOG IN STREET
- Embargoed: 26th July 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Egypt
- Country: Egypt
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA1SZYPWEX2OAMJ7O0W9F1QVOYG
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A huge explosion occurred in front of the Italian consulate in central Cairo on Saturday (July 11), killing one person and wounding two, 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.
It 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.
The blast occurred early in the morning during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan.
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 several neighbourhoods.
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. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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