A wave of terrorist attacks by opponents of the military-installed interim government is just beginning, Egypt’s interior minister said Thursday after he survived an assassination attempt when a car bomb blew up his convoy in Cairo.
Mohamed Ibrahim had been involved in overseeing a violent crackdown on supporters of Mohamed Mursi, the elected Islamist president who was overthrown two months ago by the army following mass protests against his rule.
"What happened today is not the end but the beginning," Ibrahim said, according to Reuters.
At least 10 people were injured in the attack, and two suspected attackers were killed by police, security sources told Reuters.
The blast took place in the Nasr City district of Cairo, where Ibrahim has his official residence.
Initial reports suggested the device had been a car bomb but local television reports later said it had been thrown from a building, Reuters reported.
Senior Brotherhood leader Amr Darrag issued a statement on behalf of the Brotherhood-led Anti-Coup Alliance saying it strongly condemned the attack.
The military-backed interim government that ousted elected president Mohammed Morsi has killed hundreds of supporters of his Muslim Brotherhood, which it accuses of inciting violence and committing terrorist acts, and has arrested most of its top leaders. Around 100 members of the security forces have also been killed.