At least four people were killed on Friday when a suicide car bomber blew himself up in the parking lot of a top security compound in central Cairo in one of the most high-profile attacks on the state in months, security sources said.
The early morning explosion damaged the Cairo Security Directorate, which includes police and state security, and sent smoke rising over the capital, raising concerns that an Islamist insurgency is gathering pace.
Hours after the attack, a crude explosive device killed one policeman and wounded nine others in another Cairo neighbourhood, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
Security sources said a person driving past security vehicles threw a hand grenade in their direction.
A third explosion went off near a police station in Giza, a large district on the outskirts of Cairo. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Casualties the first blast included three policemen, security sources said. State television quoted the Cairo governor as saying 50 people were wounded.
Witnesses heard gunfire immediately after the blast, which twisted the metal and shattered windows of nearby shops. Wood and metal debris were scattered hundreds of meters around.
One body covered in a blanket lay in a pool of blood near a scorched car engine.
State television quoted witnesses as saying gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on buildings after the explosion.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which came a day before the third anniversary of the uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
