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/2015/07/12/world/middleeast/egypt-bombing-at-italian-consulate-in-cairo.html

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

Version 1 Version 2
Blast at Italian Consulate in Cairo Kills at Least 1 Blast at Italian Consulate’s Compound in Cairo Kills at Least 1
(about 1 hour later)
CAIRO — A powerful explosion outside the Italian Consulate in downtown Cairo early Saturday killed at least one person and was the first major bombing of a foreign diplomatic mission since the start of an insurgency nearly two years ago. CAIRO — A powerful explosion outside the Italian Consulate’s compound in downtown Cairo early Saturday killed at least one person and was the first major bombing of a foreign diplomatic mission since the start of an insurgency nearly two years ago.
The explosion, around 6:15 a.m., was heard around the city and caused the collapse of several parts of the consulate’s walls. Initial reports from state television said the cause of the explosion was a car bomb, which detonated near one of the capital’s busiest intersections and under a major bridge. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. The explosion, around 6:15 a.m., jolted residents awake across the city and brought down slabs of the consulate’s outer walls. Initial reports from state television said the cause of the explosion was a car bomb, which detonated near one of the capital’s busiest intersections and under a major bridge. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
At least seven people were injured, including three passers-by who were members of the same family, according to a Health Ministry spokesman. At least nine people were injured, including a police officer and three passers-by who were members of the same family, a Health Ministry spokesman said.
An Italian diplomat told The Associated Press that the consulate was closed at the time of the explosion and that no staff members were wounded.An Italian diplomat told The Associated Press that the consulate was closed at the time of the explosion and that no staff members were wounded.
The bombing was the latest sign of escalating tactics by militants who had previously confined their attacks mainly to the state’s security services, killing hundreds of police officers and soldiers over the last two years. It came less than two weeks after a car bomb in Cairo killed Egypt’s top prosecutor, the first senior government official to be killed in the insurgency. The bombing of a foreign consulate was another worrying milestone for the government, which has struggled against an expanding insurgency. In the past few weeks alone, militants have attacked one of Egypt’s best-known tourist attractions, assassinated the country’s top prosecutor and mounted a large-scale assault on military troops stationed in the Sinai Peninsula.
Two days after the June 29 assassination of the prosecutor, Hisham Barakat, a jihadist group affiliated with the Islamic State mounted its largest ever assault on the Egyptian military in the northern Sinai Peninsula.
The attacks have challenged the leadership of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, a former general who led the military takeover of the government two years ago and rose to power vowing to impose security after years of street protests and political turmoil.The attacks have challenged the leadership of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, a former general who led the military takeover of the government two years ago and rose to power vowing to impose security after years of street protests and political turmoil.
Recent attacks have also targeted Egypt’s most popular tourist destinations, including the Karnak Temple in Luxor, threatening a pillar of the country’s economy. An expanding array of militant groups have participated in the attacks, among them jihadists who have tried to capture territory in the Sinai Peninsula and newer groups that have bombed stores and other economic interests.
Many foreign missions had tightened security measures at their embassies and consulates in response to local instability and growing threats from regional militant groups. The red-ocher Italian Consulate building did not appear to be heavily fortified from several of its approaches, including an alley on the side of the building that appeared to be the site of the explosion. Mr. Sisi’s government has responded to the violence by proposing tough new laws that officials assert will help the authorities fight the militants. Human rights groups have criticized the measures, including an antiterrorism law, as misdirected and say they allow the government greater latitude to punish political opponents as well as journalists and civil rights groups.
It was not clear why the Italian Consulate was a target, though it was far less heavily fortified than other Western embassies that have erected barricades and other security measures over the past few years in response to the threat of militant attacks.
One entrance to the compound, which includes a school, a cultural center and a restaurant, was barely set back from a busy road. The worst damage to the building appeared above an alleyway along the side of the compound.