CAIRO (AA) – Security forces were put on a state of alert near Interior Ministry headquarters in Cairo following reports of a failed assassination attempt on Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim.
Police closed off all routes to the ministry building with barbed wire and barricades.
Armored vehicles and dozens of troops were also deployed in the area in anticipation of possible violence or attempts to storm the building.
The reinforcements caused traffic jams, along with verbal and physical altercations between security officers and local residents.
Earlier Thursday, a booby-trapped car exploded in Mustafa al-Nahhas Street in eastern Cairo while the interior minister's motorcade was passing by.
A security source said that seven people had been injured in the blast, including two who were in critical condition.
