The weekend bombing in one of the Egyptian capital’s busiest tourist districts was not orchestrated by any known extremist group, state-run media reported.
Instead, security officials believe the blast — which killed a French tourist and injured 24 other people Sunday — likely was carried out by a few individuals with “extremist thoughts,” according to Egypt’s official Al-Ahram newspaper Monday. The wounded were mainly Europeans, including 17 French nationals and a German. Three Saudis and three Egyptians — including a soldier and a boy — also were hurt in the explosion. Al-Ahram reported that government security agencies were conducting a wide investigation into all extremist groups and cells in the Cairo area. The explosion occurred during the height of the evening rush at 6:30 p.m. (11:30 a.m. ET) in an area of coffee shops located near the Al Hussein Mosque, one of Cairo’s largest. The bomb was left under a marble bench, authorities told the newspaper.
An undetonated bomb was found near the mosque, which sits close to an entrance of the Khan el-Khalili bazaar, a huge market and a tourist attraction, officials said. Watch a report on the attack » Authorities said both bombs contained black explosive power, pieces of iron and some rock, the newspaper reported.
