This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/24/egyptian-police-headquarters-explosion

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Egyptian police headquarters hit by explosion Egyptian police headquarters hit by explosion
(about 1 hour later)
Egypt's official news agency and a security official say at least 11 people were killed and scores more injured after a strong explosion hit a police headquarters building in a Nile Delta city north of Cairo. A powerful explosion believed to be caused by a car bomb rocked a police headquarters in a Nile delta city north of Cairo early on Tuesday, killing at least 14 people and injuring scores, according to the state news agency and a security official.
The Middle East News Agency said the explosion took place at 1.10am local time on Tuesday, at Dakahlia security headquarters in the Nile Delta province of Mansour, causing the collapse of parts of the five-floor building. The interim government accused the Muslim Brotherhood of orchestrating the attack, branding it a "terrorist organisation".
A security official said that 11 people were killed and 80 injured including the city's security chief. Most of those killed were policemen inside the security headquarters whose bodies were buried under the debris. The death toll was expected to rise, he said. The Middle East News Agency quoted cabinet spokesman Sherif Shawki as saying the Brotherhood had showed its "ugly face as a terrorist organisation shedding blood and messing with Egypt's security".
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press, said an initial investigation suggested a car bomb had caused the explosion. The attack came a day after an al-Qaida-inspired group called on police and army personnel to desert or face death at the hands of its fighters.
Egypt's Nile News TV cut into its late-night programming to urge people to go to hospitals to donate blood to the victims of the attack, which it described as the worst in the city's history. The group and several others have claimed responsibility for a surge of attacks on security forces since the July coup that toppled the Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi.
The attack comes a day after an al-Qaida inspired group, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, or the Champions of Jerusalem, called on members of the police and army to desert or face death. Attacks on soldiers and policemen have sharply risen since the Egyptian army ousted the elected Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July in the face of mass unrest against his rule. MENA said the explosion took place at 1.10am at Daqahliya security headquarters in the Nile delta province of Mansour, collapsing part of the five-floor building. A security official said 14 people were killed and nearly 100 injured, including the city's security chief. Most of those killed were police officers inside headquarters, their bodies buried beneath the debris.
Most of the attacks have occurred in the Sinai. About 200 soldiers have died in Sinai alone since Morsi was forced out. It was the first major attack in the Nile delta, spreading the carnage to a new area and bringing it closer to Cairo. Previous violence that killed scores of people happened in Sinai, or in Suez Canal-area cities such as Islamilia.
The group said it considered Egyptian troops to be infidels because they answered to the secular-leaning military-backed government. It gained notoriety after expanding its operations outside of the northern Sinai province. It claimed responsibility for a September suicide bombing that targeted Egypt's interior minister, who escaped unharmed. Security forces cordoned off the area, closed major routes into the city and set up checkpoints to search for perpetrators, the official said.
The death toll was expected to rise, a state official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press. State TV called on residents to rush to hospitals to donate blood.
The official said the preliminary investigation indicated a car bomb caused the explosion.
Egypt's prime minister, Hazem el-Beblawi, described the attack as a "terrorist incident". He expressed condolences to the families of the victims and vowed that the perpetrators "will not escape justice".
MENA said that the explosion damaged surrounding buildings, including a bank and a theatre, and wrecked dozens of vehicles.
The same building was bombed weeks ago, but that explosion caused no major casualties. Militant Islamists have attacked several security headquarters with car bombs or by suicide bombers.
The militant group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, or Champions of Jerusalem, has said it considers Egyptian troops to be infidels because they answer to the secular-leaning military-backed government.
The group and others based in the Sinai claimed responsibility for a number of suicide car bombings and deadly attacks on security headquarters, including a failed assassination attempt on Egypt's interior minister in September using a suicide car bombing. The minister escaped unharmed.
Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.