Bombing targets military checkpoint in Fayoum

A homemade bomb detonated near the Fayoum Stadium on Friday morning, apparently targeting two Armed Forces checkpoints stationed in front of the main gate, the state-owned news site Ahram Gate reported.

No casualties were reported in the incident.

A security cordon was erected around the scene of the explosion, according to a security source. Preliminary investigations showed that the bomb was constructed out of a box, gunpowder and nails.

No other explosive devices were found in the area.

The incident comes the morning after the National Coalition in Fayoum organized a march and a vigil to mark the end of what they called “A Week of Destruction,” ending at midnight in front of the Dala’el al-Khayrat Mosque.

Fayoum has witnessed months of sometimes fatal violence related to Friday protests that frequently devolve into confrontations between demonstrators, residents and security forces. Last week, protesters in Fayoum threw Molotov cocktails near the court house, setting four trees on fire, in the course of clashes with the police. Eight people were injured in the violence.

Bombings targeting army and police installations have become increasingly frequent since the military’s ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi last July, and the subsequent dispersal of two pro-Morsi protest camps in Cairo that left over 1,000 dead.

On April 2, three bombs detonated in Cairo University, killing at least two — on the same day in Fayoum, two masked assailants on a motorcycle hurled an explosive device at two policemen, critically injuring both, reported the state-owned Middle East News Agency.

No group has come forward to claim responsibility for these incidents.

The Sinai-based militant group Ansar Beit al-Maqdes — recently designated a terrorist organization by the Cabinet — has claimed responsibility for several other blasts in previous months.

In response, the government has drafted two counter-terrorism bills that critics warn could open the door to the severe repression of civil liberties. The bills have reportedly been sent for judicial review.