This article is from the source 'nytimes' 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.nytimes.com/2015/06/30/world/middleeast/roadside-bomb-injures-egypts-top-prosecutor.html

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 3 Version 4
Egypt’s Top Prosecutor, Hisham Barakat, Is Killed by Roadside Bomb Egypt’s Top Prosecutor, Hisham Barakat, Is Killed by Roadside Bomb
(about 4 hours later)
CAIRO — Egypt’s top prosecutor died on Monday of wounds he sustained when a powerful bomb detonated next to his car as he was driving to work, state news media reported. CAIRO — A powerful roadside bomb killed Egypt’s top prosecutor as he drove to work Monday morning, broadening the violent insurgency that militants have been waging against the government for two years.
The prosecutor, Hisham Barakat, is the most senior Egyptian official to be killed since insurgents began a wave of violent attacks against the military-backed government nearly two years ago. The prosecutor, Hisham Barakat, was the most senior civilian official to be killed in Egypt since the insurgency began in the fall of 2013, after the military ousted the country’s first freely elected president, Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood.
At least seven other people, including two bystanders, were hurt in the attack, which incinerated several cars, in a residential area of the capital’s Heliopolis neighborhood. The explosion hit Mr. Barakat’s small convoy around 10:30 a.m. Monday as it left the Heliopolis neighborhood near Cairo International Airport. The blast set several cars on fire and shattered windows along the street, injuring at least eight other people. Mr. Barakat sustained a lacerated liver and was rushed to a hospital, where he died from internal bleeding, according to the health ministry.
Gen. Osama Bedeir, the head of Cairo security, said the explosive device was planted in a parked car and detonated by remote control. In September 2013, Egypt’s interior minister at the time, Mohamed Ibrahim, survived a similar attack on his convoy in Cairo. The daylight assassination of one of his top officials was a blow to President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who rose to power on a promise to restore stability after years of political tumult. His government has justified a broad crackdown against Islamists and other opponents as necessary to eradicate the threat from militants.
After the explosion, Egyptian officials initially said that Mr. Barakat’s wounds were not life-threatening, and included lacerations to his face and a dislocated shoulder. This month, militants carried out separate attacks near the Pyramids at Giza and at the Karnak temple in Luxor, two of Egypt’s most popular tourist destinations, further denting the government’s efforts to project order.
Ahmed Shazly, who witnessed the bombing on Monday, said that Mr. Barakat left for work every morning in a two-car convoy that apparently included an armored vehicle. Residents in the area, including Mr. Shazly’s doorman, were hurt by flying glass, he said. In a statement on Monday, Mr. Sisi praised Mr. Barakat as a “model of judicial integrity” who “exemplified patriotism and diligence.” The government said it was canceling celebrations that had been planned for Tuesday to commemorate the start of the mass protests that preceded Mr. Morsi’s ouster.
The insurgency in Egypt gained strength two years ago after the military ousted Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first elected president and a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, and began a sweeping crackdown on his supporters. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the killing. As one of the nation’s most prominent judicial officials, Mr. Barakat was a focal point for militant groups vowing retaliation for the death sentences handed down against senior leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, including Mr. Morsi, and for the executions of imprisoned militants.
Bombings and shootings by militants have killed hundreds of soldiers and members of the security services. More recently, judges and judicial officials have been targeted in what the militant groups have described as retaliation for the prosecutions and convictions of hundreds of Islamists, including the imposition of death sentences. Many of Mr. Barakat’s prosecutions had also been criticized by human rights advocates, who said the cases were built on flimsy evidence and politically motivated charges.
Human rights workers have harshly criticized many of the prosecutions, saying they have relied on politically motivated charges and flimsy evidence. After 18 months of attacks, focused mainly on the security services, that killed hundreds of soldiers and police officers, the threats against the judiciary reflected a broadening of targets by the militants to include civilian officials.
The government has also had to contend with a proliferation of new militant groups that emerged last year, including Revolutionary Punishment. That group recently posted online a list of violent attacks it claimed to have conducted over the past year, killing more than 157 members of the military.
The deadliest recent attack on the judiciary was carried out in May by a group operating in the Sinai Peninsula that is affiliated with the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. The Egyptian group, which calls itself the Sinai Province, posted a video early on Monday that appears to show the attack. In it, fighters are seen spraying a minibus with machine-gun fire, killing several judges and others.
The three-minute video includes brief images of several other prominent judges, including one who sentenced Mr. Morsi to death.
Gen. Osama Bedeir, chief of security in Cairo, said Monday that the explosive device that killed Mr. Barakat had been planted in a parked car and detonated by remote control. In September 2013, Mohamed Ibrahim, who was interior minister at the time, survived a bombing attack on his convoy in the capital.
After the explosion on Monday, Egyptian officials initially said that Mr. Barakat’s wounds were not life-threatening, and that they included lacerations to his face and a dislocated shoulder.
Ahmed Shazly, who witnessed the bombing, said Mr. Barakat left for work every morning in a two-vehicle convoy that apparently included an armored vehicle. Residents in the area, including the doorman in Mr. Shazly’s building, were hurt by flying glass from the explosion, he said.