Egyptian judge part of Morsi trial escapes car bombing

Egyptian judge part of Morsi trial escapes car bombing
A bomb attack targeting an Egyptian judge involved in the trial of former president Mohammed Morsi, exploded in Cairo on Friday, no casualties were reported.
2 min read
04 November, 2016
No casualties were reported in the bomb attack [Getty]
An Egyptian judge involved in a trial of former president Mohamed Morsi, escaped when a car bomb exploded in Cairo on Friday, police officials said.

Ahmed Abul Fotouh escaped unharmed when the bomb exploded in the eastern Nasr City district as he was driving by.

No injuries were reported in the attack that came days after a roadside bombing targeted a police convoy in Cairo and killed a passer-by.

In September, the country's deputy state prosecutor also escaped a militant attack.

No group has yet claimed the attack, however Islamist militants have waged an insurgency that has killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the military coup unseated Morsi in 2013.

In later October, Interior Minister Magdy Abdel Ghaffar said the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood was seeking through "conspiratorial schemes to incite chaos and confusion with the aim of creating scepticism over the ability of the state and its institutions to satisfy popular expectations."

"The security forces will not, under any circumstances, tolerate any attempt to repeat the scenes of chaos and sabotage at a time when the country is moving forward with firm steps toward a promising future, God willing," said the minister.

Abdel Ghaffar did not elaborate, but appeared to be alluding to the 2011 popular uprising that toppled the long-time ruler Hosni Mubarak.

The minister’s comments are the latest warning by officials and pro-government media against what they say are calls by the Brotherhood for street demonstrations on November 11 against rising prices and other economic woes.

There has been no reliable evidence that the Brotherhood was specifically behind the call for protests next month, although the group has consistently encouraged anti-government protests since the 2013 military coup that overthrew Mohamed Morsi.