Update: Islamic State claims responsibility for Shubra al-Kheima bombings

The Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the bombings targeting a National Security Agency building in Shubra al-Kheima, a neighborhood in Qalyubiya district on the outskirts of Cairo, early Thursday.

In a statement published on social media, the organization said that the operation comes in retribution for the "martyrs of Arab Sharkas," refering to the execution of six alleged members of the group by a military court this year. The statement (which appeared under the banner Islamic State Egypt) made no specific mention of its Egyptian affiliate, the Province of Sinai — a Sinai-based militant group formerly known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdes, which pledged allegiance to IS in November of last year. The Province of Sinai has claimed responsibility for several high-profile attacks in the peninsula and in Cairo since 2013.

According to the statement, a car parked next to the building was holding explosives that were remotely triggered.

Qalyubiya Governor Mohamed Abdel Zaher paid a visit to the site on Thursday morning, according to privately owned Al-Watan. He said that the perpetrators "have nothing to do with humanity or Islam," adding that such attacks won't affect the morale or unity of the Egyptian people.

Three explosions went off in the area, state-owned Al-Ahram reported. The Health Ministry said that 29 people were injured. 

Of the injured, 28 had very minor injuries, and one person had a moderate injury and was transferred to a hospital in Rod al-Farag. The rest of the injured were transferred to Nile Hospital for Medical Insurance, Nasser Institute and Police Hospital in Agouza.

The official Facebook page of the police states that the explosion did not result in any deaths.

The Interior Ministry released a statement via their official Facebook page saying that six police officers were injured during the incident, which also caused damage to the windows, walls and fence outside the building. The ministry's statement adds that the blast occured when a car stopped suddenly outside the building and exploded, and that the driver got out of the car and escaped on a motorcycle that had been riding behind it. An investigation is now underway.

There were reports of the blast being heard via social media around 2 am from several neighborhoods in Cairo and Giza.

A live stream from the site, broadcast by the privately owned ONtv, shows damage to a building and the street around. An eyewitness told Al-Ahram that there was a lot of damage surrounding the National Security Agency building. Al-Ahram also reported that a religious institution affiliated with Al-Azhar was damaged, as well as cars parked in the area. 

Minister of Antiquities Mamdouh al-Damaty confirmed that there has been damage to the historical Mohamed Ali palace as a result of the bombing, the official Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported.

Damaty toured the palace, located 500 meters away from the security building in Shubra al-Kheima, to check the damage. He reported that 21 windows were damaged, as well as two doors, and there were serious cracks in the walls and floors of the northern and western corners of the palace.

The attack comes just days after President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi signed into law on Sunday new anti-terrorism legislation that was drafted last month following the assassination of General Prosecutor Hesham Barakat. The killing was the most significant attack against a high-profile government official since the wave of violence against police and military forces that developed in the aftermath of former President Mohamed Morsi’s ouster in July 2013.

Billed to fight Islamist militants, the law gives the courts and security forces new powers to use against suspects implicated in terrorism-related crimes, as well as against journalists reporting on terrorist attacks. The law has faced both local and international critcism for its potential to limit press freedoms and crush political dissent.

Correction: This article originally identified the Province of Sinai group as claiming responsibility for the bombings. It has been amended to clarify that the statement claiming responsibility for the attack was issued in the name of the Islamic State, without specifically referring to its Sinai-based affiliate.