CAIRO, January 24. /ITAR-TASS/. Four people were killed and over 50 wounded after an explosive-laden truck blew up near police headquarters in central Cairo in the early Friday hours, the Egyptian Health Ministry said on Friday.
The blast was caused by a suicide bomber and it left a deep crater in the road, also badly damaging a nearby multi-story building and the Islamic museum, which recently opened after restoration works.
Reuters reported citing witnesses from the scene that gunfire was heard after the explosion.
Following the terrorist attack police beefed up security measures across the Egyptian capital, particularly setting up additional checkpoints on the roads, and enhancing security at the Cairo International Airport.
According to Al-Arabiya reports, the Muslim Brotherhood movement, which was banned in Egypt, denied its involvement in the terrorist attack and later Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, an al-Qaeda inspired group, claimed responsibility for the deadly blast.
Anniversary of the Egyptian revolution
The terrorist attack took place on the eve of January 25 anniversary of the Egyptian Revolution, which saw deposition of ex-President Hosni Mubarak in 2011 after his almost 30 years of rule.
Armed attacks and bombings against Egyptian law enforcers became frequent after the army ousted last July Islamist President Mohammed Morsi following mass protests against his rule.
The most violent recent terrorist attack against security forces took place in late December, when a car full of explosives went off near a police station in the Egyptian city of Al Mansour, some 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of Cairo, killing 14 and wounding about one hundred.
The Egyptian interim government blamed the December terrorist act on Muslim Brotherhood movement, led by imprisoned ex-President Morsi, and declared the movement as illegal in the country.