3rd KFC bombing in 2 weeks targets Helwan franchise

Three homemade bombs exploded in front of a Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in Cairo’s Helwan neighborhood early Sunday morning, the privately owned newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm reported — the latest in what appears to be a growing pattern of attacks on the popular fast-food franchise.

No injuries were reported in Sunday’s bombing, according to Al-Masry Al-Youm. The blast caused minor damages to an ATM machine and a kiosk next to the restaurant.

On Thursday, unidentified assailants drove by a KFC in Monufiya and opened fire, then threw Molotov cocktails before they fled the scene, the state-owned Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported. The restaurant went up in flames after the attack, killing one person and injuring another.

In a similar incident last week, unknown attackers riding a motorcycle shot at workers in an Imbaba KFC, then set the restaurant on fire with Molotov cocktails, the privately owned newspaper Youm7 reported. The blaze then spread to the rest of the building. Three fire trucks were deployed to quench the flames.

Security sources have not reported any suspects in the KFC attacks, and no groups have yet claimed responsibility. Officials have not publicly speculated as to why KFC may have become a recurring target.

Over the past few weeks, the number of bombings has spiked significantly across Egypt. Both explosive devices and fake bombs have reportedly been found in metro cars, airport terminals and malls, as well as outside governmental buildings and police stations.

Improvised explosive devices have become so common that the popular traffic app Bey2ollak started tweeting “#Where_is_the_bomb” in Arabic to help commuters avoid traffic jams caused by explosions or bomb squads shutting down roads.