Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a car bomb attack on Saturday at the Italian consulate in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, in which at least one person was killed.
“Through God’s blessing, Islamic State soldiers were able to detonate a parked car bomb carrying 450 kg of explosive material on the headquarters of the Italian consulate in central Cairo,” Islamic State said on its Twitter account.
The terrorist group said they “recommend that Muslims stay clear of these security dens because they are legitimate targets for the mujahedeen’s strikes.”
Earlier reports said two police officers and three passers-by were among those injured in the blast on Saturday morning.
The consulate was closed at the time of the explosion (06:30 local time, 04:30 GMT) and none of its staff were injured, an Italian embassy official told AP.
The explosion partially destroyed the facade of the consulate building, photos from the scene showed. It was caused by a car bomb, a security official told Reuters.
A bomb might have been placed under a car and remotely detonated, according to preliminary investigation results, cited by Egypt’s official MENA news agency.
The nearby Supreme Court was shaken by the blast, AFP reported.
Egypt has seen a number of bomb attacks over the past months.
The Egyptian military-imposed government is fighting against Islamist groups after a 2013 coup that ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi. The violence is mostly localized in the turbulent Sinai Peninsula, but bombings and attacks on security checkpoints occasionally happen in other parts of the country.
At least four journalists have been detained by Egyptian police at the scene of the explosion.
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