Three killed in car bomb blast in Egypt

Three people were killed in a car bomb blast Wednesday in Giza province, southwest of the Egyptian capital of Cairo, media reported.

The three people in a small van were on their way to carry out a terrorist operation, Xinhua reported citing official news agency MENA as quoting an official security source.

The van, which was shattered, was likely carrying a small bomb, the source said, noting it exploded by mistake while passing near Shorafa village in Giza.

A bomb disposal team moved immediately to the scene to comb the area to check any possible bomb attacks, he added.

There has been a surge of attacks by extremist militant groups in the restive Sinai peninsula and some other provinces across the country, including capital Cairo and Nile delta cities, since the military ousted former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi last year.

The Sinai-based Al Qaeda-inspired Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis group claimed responsibility for most of the attacks.