At least 1 killed in big blast at Italian consulate in Cairo

At least person was killed in a powerful explosion outside the Italian consulate in downtown Cairo, according to health ministry spokesman, Hossam Abdel Ghaffar.

Korupciya.world reports citing  RT

Earlier reports said two police officers and three passers-by were among those injured in the blast on Saturday morning.

The consulate was closed at the time of the explosion (06:30 local time, 04:30 GMT) and none of its staff were injured, an Italian embassy official told AP.

The explosion partially destroyed the facade of the consulate building, photos from the scene showed. It was caused by a car bomb, a security official told Reuters.

A bomb might have been placed under a car and remotely detonated, according to preliminary investigation results, cited by Egypt's official MENA news agency.

The nearby Supreme Court was shaken by the blast, AFP reported.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the blast at the Italian consulate.

Egypt has seen a number of bomb attacks over the past months.

The Egyptian military-imposed government is fighting against Islamist groups after a 2013 coup that ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi. The violence is mostly localized in the turbulent Sinai Peninsula, but bombings and attacks on security checkpoints occasionally happen in other parts of the country.

At least four journalists have been detained by Egyptian police at the scene of the explosion.