Cairo Explosion

[Assade]

Egyptian officials say they have detained a man after an explosive device caught fire near the American embassy in Cairo.

No casualties were reported following the incident, which occurred at the Semiramis Hotel across the street from the embassy grounds.

A witness told Reuters that they heard an explosion, and then later saw a man with a backpack that had caught fire near that hotel.



“We are aware of a reported incident on Simon Bolivar Street in Cairo. Please avoid the area and monitor local media for updates,” the US Embassy in Cairo wrote on Twitter. “We are aware of reports that public transportation has been disrupted due to the incident. Please exercise caution”.

Following the reported incident, the area around the embassy was cordoned off by security forces. Witnesses also saw an unusually heavy presence of police in the area, with dozens of officers near the embassy grounds where the reported blast was to have occurred.

As those security forces sought to keep the situation under control, the embassy itself was reportedly on lock down while officials investigated the circumstances.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 22596.html

[carrie]

Had an email from the FCO warning about staying away from Garden City area of Cairo. Having been there in the past it surprises me that any incident could take place the security was incredible.