Car bomb detonates near assistant prosecutor general in New Cairo, injuring at least 1 person

At least one person was injured when a car bomb detonated in New Cairo on Thursday night.

The Interior Ministry released a statement following the incident, saying that the car bomb exploded near Assistant Prosecutor General Zakaria Abd al-Aziz’s motorcade, but did not injure him or any of his escorts. A citizen in the proximity of the explosion was injured by shrapnel and has been taken to a hospital for treatment, according to the statement.

The extent of the blast remains unclear. While the Interior Ministry has stated that only person was injured in the explosion, Reuters has cited security sources to put the figure at two.

The privately owned Al-Arabiya corroborated the Interior Ministry’s statement, writing that the bomb detonated near Abd al-Aziz’s motorcade. Local media have added that the explosion occurred as he was leaving the public prosecution building in New Cairo.

However, there are conflicting reports concerning the exact target of the explosion, with Reuters writing that the bomb was planted near the residences of a senior Interior Ministry official and a prosecutor and has been tentative to declare an official target.

The privately owned Al-Watan newspaper has reported that state security forces have been deployed to the area, and investigators are attempting to procure surveillance footage in order to discern who was responsible for the incident.

Egypt’s Public Prosecutor Hisham Barakat was assassinated by a car bomb in June of last year.