Egypt thwarts bomb attack on Cairo security forces

Egyptian authorities say members of banned Muslim Brotherhood have targeted security patrol in Cairo, that explosives experts have dismantled device.

CAIRO - Egyptian authorities thwarted an attempt to target security forces with a home made bomb in Cairo's western Giza district on Friday, the interior ministry said.

It said members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood had targeted a security patrol, and that explosives experts had dismantled the device. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Two local security sources told Reuters that a device exploded during an attempt to defuse it. Videos circulating on social media showed a blast in a cordoned-off area under a large concrete bridge.

The sources said two policemen and three civilians suffered minor injuries from the blast and that two other devices had been defused nearby.

Security forces have been waging a campaign against Islamist militants over the past year which is focused on Egypt's Sinai peninsula.

Attacks in the capital are relatively rare, though a roadside bomb in Giza killed three Vietnamese tourists and a Egyptian guide in December.