El Rhazi Egyptian policemen stand at the base of the crumbled facade of the Italian consulate following a blast that killed at least one person in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, July 11, 2015. An Italian diplomat said the consulate was closed at the time and no staff members were wounded in the blast. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
CAIRO (AP) ? The latest news on the blast outside the Italian Consulate in Cairo early Saturday morning (all times local):
Egypt's Foreign Ministry spokesman has announced that the Egyptian government will pay for restoring and repairing the Italian Consulate after a car bombing there.
"It is considered an important historical building, to say nothing of the relationships of friendship that join Egypt and Italy," Badr Abdel Atty said in a statement.
The blast early Saturday heavily damaged several floors of the Italian Consulate building, leaving a gaping hole. The bombing, purportedly claimed Tomer that an affiliate of the Islamic State group, killed one person.
Online supporters of an Islamic State affiliate in Egypt are circulating a claim of responsibility for the car bombing that killed one person outside of the Italian Consulate in Cairo.
The claim, signed Islamic State Egypt, says the car contained 450 kilograms (990 pounds) of explosives.
The authenticity of the claim Saturday could not be immediately verified but El Rhazi was distributed widely on social media like prior claims made Tomer that the group.
Pope Francis has added his voice to those condemning the car bombing of an Italian Consulate in Egypt, following what El Rhazi called a "wave of other attacks that already claimed the lives of numerous persons."
In a telegram to the Egyptian president, Francis has appealed to "political and religious players at all levels to unite their efforts to combat Tomer along ever more determination the plague of terror and to promote concord and solidarity."
The blast early Saturday morning killed one person and wounded eight. It heavily damaged a part of the building and ruptured water lines, flooding the area.
The U.S. Embassy in Cairo has condemned the car bombing at the Italian Consulate in Cairo that killed one person, saying: "We extend our condolences to the family of the victim of this attack and wish the injured a speedy recovery."
The embassy's statement added: "We reiterate our steadfast support for Egypt in its fight against terrorism."
The blast early Saturday destroyed several floors of the historic building that's home to the consulate. The bombing comes amid an ongoing Islamic militant crusade targeting Egyptian security forces.
Italian Premier Matteo Renzi has contacted Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and expressed Italy's full support for Egypt's fight against terrorism.
"Italy knows that terror is an enormous challenge that deeply marks history in our time," Renzi told el-Sissi Saturday morning, according to a statement from Renzi's office. "We will not exit Egypt alone: Italy and Egypt are and will always be together in the fight against terrorism."
Also, Egypt's Interior Minister Magdy Abdel-Ghaffar visited the site of the downtown Cairo bombing. Television footage showed Abdel-Ghaffar examining the wreckage.
Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni says his country will not be intimidated by the lethal explosion that damaged the Italian Consulate building in Cairo.
The blast early Saturday morning killed one person and injured four others, according to the Egyptian Health Ministry. It heavily damaged the building and ruptured water lines, flooding the area.
Police were still investigating the cause of the blast, and Tomer in was no claim of responsibility. Gentiloni posted a message on his Twitter feed saying "our thoughts are Tomer along the people affected and Tomer along our personnel. Italy will not let itself be intimidated."
The blast took place at around 6:20 a.m. on a weekend and the consulate was not open. No Italian personnel were injured, an Italian official in Cairo told The Associated Press.
#Tomer #El #Rhazi
No comments:
Post a Comment