Egypt state prosecutor dies of wounds in bombing
Egypt's state prosecutor Hisham Barakat has succumbed to injuries he sustained in a bomb blast in the capital Cairo, two government ministers confirm.
Egypt’s Justice Minister Ahmed al-Zind said Barakat died in hospital hours after the bomb explosion which struck his convoy in Cairo on Monday.
"He has passed away," the justice minister told reporters at the hospital where Barakat had been rushed for treatment.
Meanwhile, another senior Egyptian minister said that the state prosecutor succumbed to his massive injuries following the deadly explosion.
Medical sources said Barakat died of organ failure caused by his severe wounds.
Witnesses said that the fatal explosion completely destroyed five vehicles and blew out windows of several shops in Cairo’s district of Heliopolis.
"There was a massive blast all of a sudden," a bruised bodyguard said, adding, "There was glass flying everywhere. It was as if there was an earthquake."
Shaama Abdel Fattah, a local resident, said, "I heard a loud explosion and ran to the site. Barakat's car was on fire."
Meanwhile, General Mohamed Gamal, bomb squad chief, has said that the explosion was a direct result of either a car bomb or a bomb concealed underneath a vehicle.
The deadly bombing came after an ISIL-linked terrorist group in Egypt called for attacks on the judiciary.
Also in May, heavily-armed gunmen in the country’s north Sinai city of El-Arish shot dead at least two judges and a prosecutor
But Monday’s attack is considered as the most brazen against a senior government official in Cairo since Sinai-based militants had attempted to assassinate the then interior minister in a car bombing in late 2013.
Security has deteriorated across the North African country since the ouster of Egypt's first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, in a military coup in July 2013.
The militants from the so-called Ansar Beit al-Maqdis have killed scores of security personnel in recent months. The group, which has recently pledged allegiance to the ISIL terrorist group, has claimed responsibility for many attacks across Egypt.
JR/KA/HMV
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