BLAST NEAR EGYPTIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY KILLING TWO POLICEMEN

The scene of the blast near Egypt's foreign ministry in Cairo (Photo: Snapshot from Egyptian TV) — The scene of the blast near Egypt’s foreign ministry in Cairo (Photo: Snapshot from Egyptian TV)

Cairo, 26 Dhulqa’dah 1435/21 September 2014 (MINA) – A bomb exploded near the foreign ministry in downtown Cairo on Sunday morning, killing two police personnel and injuring several others.

Two lieutenant colonels were killed, and five police personnel and one civilian were injured, Ahram online quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

The explosion, in the Boulaq Abu El-Ela district, was reportedly caused by an improvised explosive device placed beneath a tree outside Gate 3 of the ministry, which is located near the Maspero state television building

Police were deployed in the area and traffic was temporarily halted.

Ambulances transferred the victims to the Police Hospital in Agouza.

Boulaq Abu El-Ela is a working-class district located between two of Cairo’s main downtown squares – Tahrir and Ramsis.

Sunday marks the first day of the new academic year in many schools in Cairo, with heavy traffic seen on the streets this morning.

Abu Farag Primary School is located near the accident site. State TV said numerous parents had come to collect their children from nearby schools.

Explosions have repeatedly targeted police sites and personnel over the past year, following the recent crackdown and continous protest against newly Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi accross country.(T/R04/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)