Five people were injured today when a home-made bomb went off close to a bus in the Egyptian capital, even as authorities launched a crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood members after declaring it a terrorist group.
The bomb planted on a pavement exploded as the public bus passed by in the northern district of Nasr City, a security source said. A second bomb found in the area was defused by police.
Bombings in Cairo have so far not been a feature of the ongoing confrontation between security forces and ousted president Mohammed Morsi's supporters in the Muslim Brotherhood.
The explosion came after Egypt's government designated the Brotherhood a terrorist organisation, and two days after a bombing at a police headquarter in northern Egypt killed at least 16 people.
According to explosives experts, two bombs were home-made and contained gunpowder, nails and broken marble, intending to cause maximum harm to people.
The location of the explosion is near Al-Azhar university building, the headquarters of National Security as well as a police station.
The area was cordoned by the police for investigations.
In the wake of such bomb attacks, army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi vowed to eliminate terrorism and appealed to Egyptians to trust the military.
Meanwhile, Egyptian prosecutors today ordered the arrest of at least 18 Brotherhood members, including an ex-lawmaker, for belonging to a terrorist group.
Sixteen suspected Brotherhood members were also arrested for passing out leaflets in support of the group and "inciting the violence," the state-run MENA news agency said.
