Four policemen and four civilians were injured in an explosion Saturday at the metro station near Cairo University, located in Giza, state-run media Al-Ahram reported. The Ministry of Interior has yet to comment on the incident.
No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion either, but it is possible that the targets were the police officers and conscripts securing the university. Almost a year ago, Tarek El-Mergawy, Director of Western Giza Investigation, was killed in a double blast outside the university.
Targeting security officers persists in Egypt through explosions and drive-by shootings. At least four policemen were killed in the governorates of Matruh, Menufya, Suez and Sinai since the new Minister of Interior Magdy Abdel Ghaffar was sworn into office on 5 March.
The government had increased security measures in universities at the beginning of the academic year 2014/2015, in response to a violent student movement that had erupted in the previous year. Falcon Security, a private company, had been put in charge of 12 universities including Cairo University, Al-Azhar, Ain Shams and Alexandria universities.
While students’ demonstrations have been relatively contained for this academic year, attacks on police cars securing university campuses increased, as perpetuators claim revenge for security’s brutality against students.
