A bomb has targeted the convoy of Egypt’s Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim but the minister was unhurt, security forces say.
The explosion took place at around 10:30am (08:30 GMT) on Thursday near Ibrahim’s home in the Nasr City area, they said.
The minister later appeared on Egyptian state TV to denounce the apparent attempt on his life as a “cowardly assassination bid”.
Responding to a question on whether the attack marked the start of “a new wave of terrorism”, Ibrahim said: “What happened today is not the end but the beginning”.
He added that citizens needed to take care.
State TV reported that the bomb was thrown at the minister’s convoy from the top of a nearby building.
At least 21 people were reported injured in the blast, which media reports described as an assassination attempt.
The blast damaged stores and several cars parked on the street and shattered the windows of several nearby apartment buildings. The aftermath of the blast suggested a powerful explosion, with three badly damaged SUVs, including the minister’s, and a small raging fire.
The blast site was littered with debris, including tree branches severed by the explosion. Police were searching for suspects in the area but no arrests had been made, security officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.
Officials involved in the investigation told the Associated Press that early results showed that a parked car was laden with explosives and blew up when Mohammed Ibrahim’s convoy passed.
