A car bomb strikes the Egyptian capital's police headquarters before two smaller blasts are detonated on the third anniversary of uprising against Hosni Mubarak.
A car bomb struck the main Egyptian police headquarters on Friday in the heart of Cairo, killing at least four people in a hugely symbolic attack on the eve of the third anniversary of the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocratic ruler Hosni Mubarak.
The blast shook and damaged nearby buildings, including a museum and courthouse, and sent black smoke rising above the Egyptian capital as a large number of ambulances rushed to the scene.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the 6:30 a.m. blast, but Egypt has seen a sharp rise in Islamic militant attacks targeting police and the military in the aftermath of the July 3 coup that ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. Immediately after the blast, local residents gathered and chanted against Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood.
The Health Ministry said in a statement that four people were killed and nearly 50 wounded.
Hours after the attack, a crude explosive device killed one policeman and wounded nine others in another Cairo neighbourhood, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
A loud blast was also heard in the Talbeya neighbourhood in Giza, a large district on the outskirts of Cairo, witnesses told Reuters. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
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