14 people, in an attack the military-installed authorities said is aimed at derailing a democratic transition.
Hours after the bombing in Mansoura, a city north of Cairo, Egyptian Prime Minister Hazem Beblawi labelled the Muslim Brotherhood, the banned movement of ousted president Mohamed Morsi, a “terrorist” group, though the premier did not blame the organisation for the blast.
The movement itself strongly condemned the attack, one of the deadliest in Egypt since the military deposed Morsi in July.
The bombing comes just weeks ahead of a referendum on a new constitution billed as the first major step towards democracy after the Islamist leader’s overthrow.
he bomb ripped through the multi-storey police headquarters in Mansoura shortly after 1:00 am, killing at least 14 people and wounding more than 100, officials said.
“The majority of the casualties are from the police,” said Omar al-Shawatsi, the governor of Daqahleya, of which Mansoura is the capital. Daqahleya security chief Sami El-Mihi was wounded in the blast and two of his aides were killed, security officials said.
The massive explosion – whose impact was felt about 20 kilometres (21 miles) away – stripped off the facade of the building and caused part of its solid structure to cave in.
