A “sound bomb” exploded at Qena Central Hospital on Saturday, minutes before Minister of Health Adel Hassan Al-Adawi was scheduled to arrive to participate in the hospital’s grand opening.
The explosion caused no damage or injuries, and the health minister arrived and toured the hospital as scheduled.
State-run Al-Ahram reported that the bomb was a metal pipe filled with gunpowder. Al-Ahram also reported that the bomb was thrown over the outside fence of the hospital.
No suspects have been arrested and no particular group has claimed responsibility.
Qena has seen a number of violent confrontations between gunmen and police as of late. Two police officers were killed on 9 April while performing a security sweep in the Upper Egypt governorate. Two other police officers were shot and killed during a similar raid on 17 March.
“The interior ministry mourns martyrs for their heroic sacrifices for the sake of imposing security and stability,” the ministry said, promising to care for the families the deceased left behind on 9 April.
Both the fatal raids targeted ex-convicts. In the 9 April raid, one attacker, armed with a shotgun, was killed; he was due to serve a 15-year prison term. Another attacker was arrested as the Ministry of Interior promised legal action against him.
Egypt has also witnessed a recent spate in bombings targeting security forces. The Director of West Giza Investigations, Tarek El-Mergawy, was killed in an explosion at Cairo University that wounded five other officers on 2 April. Forensic reports concluded that the explosions were caused by nail bombs planted near security forces.
On 8 April, security at Ain Shams University found 12 improvised explosive devices on campus. Explosives experts were able to dismantle the explosives.
