Post by Moses on Apr 30, 2005 10:21:11 GMT -5
Explosions rock Egyptian capital
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4501263.stm
A bomb explosion in the centre of the Egyptian capital Cairo has killed at least one man and injured several others, including foreigners.
Police said a bomb was thrown from a bridge to the street below, killing an Arab man and injuring four Egyptians and four foreigners.
The blast happened near the Egyptian Museum, the country's main Pharaonic museum and a major tourist attraction.
Meanwhile, reports are coming in of a second explosion in the city.
A source close to the Egyptian security services told the BBC that two female suicide bombers had blown themselves up near a suburb of Cairo called Nasser City.
Another unconfirmed report says that a tourist bus has come under fire in the city, but the attackers failed to hit the vehicle.
'Very loud'
Eyewitnesses at the scene of the first attack report seeing the remains of a body, covered with newspapers, beneath the bridge.
"I heard a very loud explosion after what looked like a man throwing a bomb down from the bridge," said Mohammed Hasan Mohammed, 45. News agencies says the four foreigners injured were two Israelis, a Russian and an Italian. The extent of their wounds is unclear.
The area was quickly cordoned off by police carrying semi-automatic rifles, and a large crowd gathered.
The BBC's Paul Wood, in Cairo, says most people believe this was another attack targeting foreign tourists.
Earlier this month, a suicide bomber killed three foreign tourists - two French citizens and an American - in a Cairo bazaar.
Egypt is currently under emergency rule, with some 16,000 suspected militants in prison.
Our correspondent says the Egyptian authorities and Western governments fear this attack represents a new generation of Islamic militants.
If that is the case, he adds, it is going to mean a very difficult time for the Egyptian economy.
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4501263.stm
A bomb explosion in the centre of the Egyptian capital Cairo has killed at least one man and injured several others, including foreigners.
Police said a bomb was thrown from a bridge to the street below, killing an Arab man and injuring four Egyptians and four foreigners.
The blast happened near the Egyptian Museum, the country's main Pharaonic museum and a major tourist attraction.
Meanwhile, reports are coming in of a second explosion in the city.
A source close to the Egyptian security services told the BBC that two female suicide bombers had blown themselves up near a suburb of Cairo called Nasser City.
Another unconfirmed report says that a tourist bus has come under fire in the city, but the attackers failed to hit the vehicle.
'Very loud'
Eyewitnesses at the scene of the first attack report seeing the remains of a body, covered with newspapers, beneath the bridge.
"I heard a very loud explosion after what looked like a man throwing a bomb down from the bridge," said Mohammed Hasan Mohammed, 45. News agencies says the four foreigners injured were two Israelis, a Russian and an Italian. The extent of their wounds is unclear.
The area was quickly cordoned off by police carrying semi-automatic rifles, and a large crowd gathered.
The BBC's Paul Wood, in Cairo, says most people believe this was another attack targeting foreign tourists.
Earlier this month, a suicide bomber killed three foreign tourists - two French citizens and an American - in a Cairo bazaar.
Egypt is currently under emergency rule, with some 16,000 suspected militants in prison.
Our correspondent says the Egyptian authorities and Western governments fear this attack represents a new generation of Islamic militants.
If that is the case, he adds, it is going to mean a very difficult time for the Egyptian economy.