An American died early yesterday from wounds sustained in a bomb blast that rocked a bazaar popular with tourists in Cairo, taking the death toll from the attack to three, a US embassy spokeswoman said.
Micaela Schweitzer-Bluhm said several Americans were targeted in Thursday's explosion in a packed bazaar area in Cairo's old city, which also killed a French woman and another person whose identity has not yet been revealed.
"One of the Americans has died as a result of the wounds from the bombing early this [Friday] morning," Schweitzer-Bluhm said. She provided no further details, including how many Americans had been injured.
Egypt's Interior Ministry has said that nine Egyptians and nine foreigners -- including four Americans -- were wounded in the blast in the al-Moski bazaar, a maze of narrow alleys with shops selling jewelry, souvenirs and clothes connected to the biggest tourist souq, Khan al-Khalili.
Witnesses said a man on a motorcycle appeared to set off the blast, the first attack targeting foreign tourists in the Egyptian capital in seven years.
Brigadier General Nabil al-Azabi, head of security in Cairo, said initial investigations suggested the explosive was a homemade nail-packed bomb that went off prematurely. He said the second person killed, whose body was severely mutilated, may have been the man carrying the bomb.
Officials warned the death toll could rise, with four of the wounded in critical condition and body parts still to be identified.
There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack. Police said they have taken two people in for questioning and were investigating a motorcycle found near the scene with nails scattered on the ground around it.
Witnesses to the attack were unclear whether the man on the motorcycle was a suicide bomber or threw an explosive.
A heavy police presence was still at the scene of the blast early yesterday. The usually bustling area was cordoned off as investigators searched for clues. The blast site is in the heart of Islamic Cairo near al-Azhar, one of the most prestigious Islamic institutions in the Sunni Muslim world, in Cairo's old city.
Doctors said many of the wounded had severe wounds from nails packed in the bomb, doctors said. Among the wounded foreigners were also three French and a Turk, the ministry said. It also said an Italian was injured, but Italian diplomats leaving the hospital later said there were no Italians among the casualties and there was no explanation for the discrepancy.
The US embassy in Cairo put out a message warning Americans to stay away from Khan al-Khalili, the sprawling bazaar area, and to use prudence elsewhere in the city.
"It is a disturbing incident, especially when there is a loss of life, and we are as anxious as anyone to learn more about what happened," embassy spokeswoman Schweitzer-Bluhm said.
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