CAR BOMB NEAR EGYPT ARMY INTELLIGENCE BUILDING WOUNDS FOUR

       Cairo, 14 Dhulhijja 1434/19 October 2013 (MINA) – At least four soldiers were wounded on Saturday when a car bomb exploded near an army intelligence building in Ismailia, northeast of Cairo, security sources and state media said.

       The force of the blast caused part of the military intelligence building’s wall to collapse, one of the sources said, Ahram reported as quoted by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).

       The sources said another undetonated car bomb was found while security personnel were sweeping the area. Yet the suspect remain unknown.

       Ismaïlia is a city in north-eastern Egypt. Known in Egypt as “The City of Beauty and Enchantment” Ismaïlia is situated on the west bank of the Suez Canal, it is the capital of the Ismailia Governorate.

       The city has a population (including surrounding rural areas) of approximately 750,000 inhabitants. It is located approximately half way between Port Said to the north and Suez to the south. The Canal widens at that point to include Lake Timsah, one of the Bitter Lakes linked by the Canal.

       The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Ismaïlia by Hassan al-Banna in March 1928. An underground paramilitary wing was established in the 1940s, primarily to fight British occupation forces. In the early 1950s, Ismaïlia hosted the British Military HQ and the Civilian Administration Centre of the Canal Zone.

       British suppression of an uprising by rebellious Egyptian police there on 25 January 1952 was a key event leading to the overthrow of King Farouk I later that year and the Egyptian Revolution that followed. British forces pulled out of Ismaïlia in 1954.

       Ismaïlia is the home of Suez Canal University, established in 1976 to serve the region of Suez Canal and Sinai. Suez Canal University now is one of the fastest growing educational institutions in Egypt with many students studying abroad. The new university of Suez Canal University was established with the help of the Chinese Government.

       Ismaïlia was founded in 1863, during the construction of the Suez Canal, by Khedive Ismail the Magnificent, after whom the city is named. The head office of the Suez Canal Authority is located in Ismaïlia at the shore of Lake Timsah. It still has a large number of buildings dating from British and French involvement with the Canal. Most of these buildings are still used by Canal employees and officials.(T/P03/P04/E1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)