Explosions awoke Cairo early this morning (July 11), as a car bomb outside the Italian Consulate killed at least one civilian and injured eight others. Now Reuters reports that a local branch of the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack, posting on a website that they had used 450 kilograms (990 pounds) of explosives.
The bomb exploded around 6:30 am, while the embassy was closed. No workers were inside the building.
“I was sleeping when the explosion went off, it blew in my window and when I went outside the air was full of dust,” Ahmed Hasan, who lives in the neighborhood, told the Associated Press.
Italian foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni posted an update on Twitter $TWTR confirming that no Italians were injured and added, “Italy will not be intimidated.”
After speaking with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Gentiloni also issued a statement emphasizing Italy’s alliance with Egypt: ”We will not leave Egypt alone: Italy and Egypt are and will always be together in the fight against terrorism.”
The incident is the first major attack on a foreign diplomatic presence in Egypt since el-Sisi took office a year ago.
