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| Blast at Italian Consulate’s Compound 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’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 here nearly two years ago. | |
| The explosion, which occurred about 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 a car bomb had detonated near one of the capital’s busiest intersections and under a major bridge. | |
| A statement by the Islamic State extremist group that was circulated on jihadist Twitter accounts on Saturday said the group’s “soldiers” had carried out the attack, using a 450-kilogram car bomb. The statement warned Muslims to stay away from “security dens” because they were “legitimate targets.” | |
| It was not possible to confirm the authenticity of the statement. It carried a logo that said “Islamic State, Egypt” — rather than that of “Sinai Province,” an Egyptian militant group that has claimed responsibility for several deadly attacks and last year declared its affiliation with the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, which is based in Syria and Iraq. | |
| 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. | 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 and that no staff members were wounded. | An Italian diplomat told The Associated Press that the consulate was closed at the time and that no staff members were wounded. |
| 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, militants have attacked one of Egypt’s best-known tourist attractions, assassinated the country’s top prosecutor and mounted a large-scale assault on troops stationed in the Sinai Peninsula. | 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, militants have attacked one of Egypt’s best-known tourist attractions, assassinated the country’s top prosecutor and mounted a large-scale assault on troops stationed in the 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. |
| 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 places of economic value. | 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 places of economic value. |
| 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, journalists and civil rights groups. | 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, 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. | 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 alley along the side of the compound. | 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 alley along the side of the compound. |