Cairo's Terror

As the nation gears up for the commemoration of the third anniversary of the Egyptian revolution, scenes of terror have filled our screens and timelines. The series of three bombs began early this morning, with the first and most deadly explosion ripping through a downtown Cairo security directorate in the Bab El Khalq area at around 6.30AM on Friday morning. The fatal bomb - thought to be a car bomb - killed four, injured 76 and lead to substantial damage of the building and the nearby Islamic Museum. Eye witnesses told state TV reporters that the perpetrators of the bombing subsequently opened fire in the area.

Later on Friday morning, a second, more primitive explosive was hurled at a police vehicle near El Behous Metro station, in Dokki, Giza. One person was killed, and at least 11 have been injured as a result. A third attack took place on a police station in an area of El Haram known as Talbiya, just minutes away from the pyramids. The improvised bomb has caused no fatalities. 

The attacks in Cairo follow a spattering of similar bombings across Egypt over the last few weeks, for which AlQaeda-inspired Ansar Beit Al Maqdis have taken responsibility, claiming to be responding to the recent crackdown on Islamist groups. However, they have not immediately claimed responsibility for today's attacks.