Six police officers killed in explosion on main road carrying tour buses to Egyptian Pyramids
An explosion on a main road in Cairo has killed six police and wounded another three in what appears to be the deadliest attack on security forces in Egypt in several months.
The explosion took place near a mosque on Pyramids Road, the main avenue leading from the city centre out to the Giza pyramids, which is often used by tour buses, according to the state-run MENA news agency.
It said the blast targeted security forces, without elaborating on what caused the explosion.
Insurgents have carried out a number of attacks in Egypt since the 2013 military removal of an elected Islamist president.
The violence has been concentrated in the northern Sinai Peninsula, but there have also been several attacks on the mainland, including in the capital.
The bombing appeared to have targeted two police SUVs parked along the road at a mobile checkpoint, according to reports.
The explosion completely destroyed one of the vehicles and severely damaged the other.
Dozens of people gathered at the scene as police cordoned off the area.
It appeared to be the deadliest attack in Egypt since May, when gunmen opened fire on a microbus filled with plain clothes police in the Cairo suburb of Helwan, killing eight of them.
Islamic State, which has a powerful affiliate based in the Sinai, claimed to be behind the attack.
An explosive device struck a police convoy in Cairo in October, killing a pedestrian bystander.
AP
