Members of the security forces clad in black uniforms are shown moving away from the suspected site of the explosions and then advancing towards it with their weapons drawn. A loud blast is heard moments later, presumably caused by the second bomb. Video footage posted online showed a cloud of smoke hovering above the ground at a tree-lined roundabout. It is not possible," said student Mohamed Abdel Aziz outside Cairo University after the explosions. How can the police protect us when they can't even protect themselves. The attacks have spread from the largely lawless Sinai peninsula to Cairo and other cities, rattling Egyptians who have longed for security since a popular uprising ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011. They carry out nearly daily attacks despite army offensives against strongholds. The Brotherhood, Egypt's best organised political party until last year, has been banned and driven underground.īut tackling Islamist insurgents based in the Sinai Peninsula will be a far more daunting task for security forces. It will be the second time Egyptians have voted in a presidential election in less than two years.īut in contrast to the 2012 vote won by Mursi, this election follows a fierce government crackdown on dissent that has included both Islamists and secular-minded democracy activists. Widely seen as Egypt's de facto leader since he deposed Mursi, Sisi enjoys backing from supporters who see him as Egypt's saviour.īut he is viewed by the Islamist opposition as the mastermind of a coup that ignited the worst internal strife in Egypt's modern history. The government this week put the death toll from such attacks at nearly 500 people, most of them soldiers and police.Īnalysts expect militants to escalate violence ahead of the May 26-27 presidential election.Ībdel Fattah al-Sisi, the general who toppled Mursi, is expected to easily win the vote. Two bombs, planted among trees outside the university, also wounded five from the security forces who had been guarding the facility, the ministry said.īombings and shootings targeting the security forces have become commonplace in Egypt since the army deposed Islamist President Mohamed Mursi last July following mass protests against his rule. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but Islamist militants have carried out similar operations in a fast-growing insurgency threatening the security of the most populous Arab nation. * Violence expected to rise ahead of May presidential vote (Adds details)ĬAIRO, April 2 (Reuters) - An Egyptian police brigadier-general was killed in bombings outside Cairo University on Wednesday, the Interior Ministry said. * Attacks on security forces commonplace since Mursi ousted Regardless of political opinion, the right to freedom of expression and media safety must be upheld.* Bombs planted among trees near police guarding university "These blatant and brutal acts of violence are clear attempts to intimidate the country's media and undermine press freedom and they cannot be tolerated. IFJ president Jim Boumelha said: "We stand in solidarity with our colleagues in Yemen to demand that the relevant authorities do everything in their power to increase protection for the safety and freedom of the country's journalists and media personnel. The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate can called on local security forces to investigate both attacks. The armed men forced the driver out of the cab before stealing the vehicle. The following day, armed criminals held up and hijacked a delivery truck carrying copies of the Akhbar Al Youn newspaper. The mob stole Al Radini’s belongings during the attack. In one case, journalist Fatek Al Radini who works for the Saba news agency was attacked and beaten by a mob of four people as he returned on 6 February in the port city of Aden. The International Federation of Journalists has condemned a string of attacks on journalists and newspaper delivery drivers in Yemen.
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