CAIRO: Seventeen people were wounded, including 11 French tourists, three Germans and three Egyptians when a bomb went off in the tourist district of Al Hussein, near the popular Khan Al Khalili market in the heart of Cairo at around 7 pm.
A conflicting report by Reuters, however, claims that four people had died, two of them tourists, but their nationality has not been disclosed. The report said that eleven people were also wounded, six seriously.
The Daily News Egypt correspondent present at the scene shortly after, said that at around 8:10 pm another explosion was heard, but that it did not incur any casualties.
No smoke was visible.
By then at least 1000 riot policemen had filled the area, which was sealed off completely.
Police and investigators banned the entry or exit of anyone from the bombing scene and instantly began a rigorous search and questioning campaign.
According to local television news reports and the Al Jazeera correspondent, security officials said that one French female casualty is in critical condition.
The wounded were transferred to the nearby Al Hussein Hospital for treatment.
The report said security officials believe that the bomb may have been thrown from Al Hussein Hotel overlooking the square where the bomb exploded, right across from Al Hussein Mosque.
Eye witnesses allege that the perpetrators were two people donning a face veil (niqab) accompanied by one man.
This could not be confirmed.
On April 7, 2005 a suicide bomber set off an explosive device in Moski, also near the Khan Al Khalili bazaar – a street market popular with tourists and locals alike – and the Al Hussein Mosque.
Three foreign tourists (two from France and one from the United States) were killed, and 11 Egyptians and seven other overseas visitors were injured.
This was one of three terrorist incidents that took place on the same month in 2005.
No one was killed in the other two except the suicide bombers who perpetrated the crimes.
