Egypt’s top prosecutor killed in bomb blast
CAIRO—Egypt’s state prosecutor was killed in a powerful bombing that hit his Cairo convoy on Monday following jihadist calls for attacks on the judiciary to avenge a crackdown on Islamists.
The health ministry and senior officials including Justice Minister Ahmed el-Zind told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that Hisham Barakat died in hospital hours after the morning blast in the upscale east Cairo district of Heliopolis.
Barakat, 64, was the most senior government official killed since jihadists launched an insurgency following the military overthrow of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in 2013.
His assassination will come as a blow to President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the former Army chief who overthrew Morsi and won elections pledging to wipe out Islamist militants.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
The bomb destroyed several cars and blew out shop windows, an AFP reporter said. At least five vehicles were completely gutted.
Health ministry spokesperson Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar said eight people were wounded, including two civilians and five policemen guarding Barakat.
The attack came a day before the second anniversary of the mass protests that prompted the military to oust Morsi.
The presidency said it was canceling celebrations to mark the anniversary of the protests and of Morsi’s overthrow on July 3.
Apresidency statement pledged that the “perpetrators of this terrible crime will be punished most severely.” Rights group Amnesty International in a statement condemned the “cowardly” killing, but said “authorities must not use such threats as a pretext for trampling upon human rights.” A bruised bodyguard told prosecutors what happened as Barakat’s convoy headed to his office.
“There was a massive blast all of a sudden,” he said, in the presence of an AFP journalist. “There was glass flying everywhere. It was as if there was an earthquake.” Witnesses at the scene said one of the charred vehicles had belonged to the prosecutor.