Bomb Blast in Cairo

By Jacob Simkins

A bomb blast in Cairo killed one French tourist and injured 20 others, mostly foreign tourists, in an open-air hotel café in the Khan al-Khalili area, a prominent area known for its mosque. A previous attack in the same area killed 3 people, including one American and one French tourist in 2005.

The homemade devise was likely thrown from a balcony, killing the 17 year old French Woman. Those behind the attack have not been identified.

Those injured in the attack include 10 French nationals, 4 Germans, and 3 Egyptians. Out of the more than 20 injured in the blast, 6 are in serious condition.

The blast occurred in the early evening in the Historic Khan al-Khalili neighborhood, the location of the Hussein Mosque and a well-known bazaar. The area has narrow streets filled with people, which may have amplified the effect of the relatively small blast. The area has been blocked off, but confusion remains of the exact area where the bomb was thrown. Conflicting witnesses have stated it was thrown from an upper floor or from a motorcycle, while some Egyptian government officials maintain that the bomb exploded underneath a bench. A second device was defused after it failed to explode.