5 Sep 2013
Egyptian interior minister survives assassination attempt
FXstreet.com (Lisbon) - Egypt's interior minister survived a recent assassination attempt earlier today when a bomb detonated as his convoy passed through Cairo's Nasr City district, according to state media and security officials.
Security sources reported that at least 10 people had been injured, however the minister – a resident near Nasr City - was unharmed.
The minister, Mohamed Ibrahim, has been among those responsible for a violent crackdown on supporters of Mohamed Mursi, the Islamist president ousted two months ago by the army following mass protests against his rule. Initial reports suggested the device had been a car bomb but state TV later reported that it had been thrown from a building.
The military-backed government that took over from Mursi has killed hundreds of supporters of his Muslim Brotherhood, which it in turn accuses of inciting violence and committing terrorist acts, and arrested most of its top leaders. Around 100 members of the security forces have also been killed.
The Brotherhood denies the allegations and accuses the army of staging a coup and trying to return Egypt to the repressive era of former president Hosni Mubarak – it reiterates it is committed to peaceful resistance. Egypt faced an Islamist insurgency in the 1990s, when bombing and shooting attacks destabilized the country and hurt tourism.
Security sources reported that at least 10 people had been injured, however the minister – a resident near Nasr City - was unharmed.
The minister, Mohamed Ibrahim, has been among those responsible for a violent crackdown on supporters of Mohamed Mursi, the Islamist president ousted two months ago by the army following mass protests against his rule. Initial reports suggested the device had been a car bomb but state TV later reported that it had been thrown from a building.
The military-backed government that took over from Mursi has killed hundreds of supporters of his Muslim Brotherhood, which it in turn accuses of inciting violence and committing terrorist acts, and arrested most of its top leaders. Around 100 members of the security forces have also been killed.
The Brotherhood denies the allegations and accuses the army of staging a coup and trying to return Egypt to the repressive era of former president Hosni Mubarak – it reiterates it is committed to peaceful resistance. Egypt faced an Islamist insurgency in the 1990s, when bombing and shooting attacks destabilized the country and hurt tourism.