Christians Under Attack

The device damaged a car and a second one was found and detonated by police in the same area near a Coptic church in the northeast of Cairo, the sources added.

The official news agency MENA reported that a car burst into flames because of an electrical short circuit near the church and said the fire was swiftly extinguished. It did not mention a second blast.

Shady Wagih, a witness at the scene, said the first blast occurred at about 6am NZT, damaging the car and prompting police to set up a security cordon. The second blast occurred later after the police cleared the area, he said.

In February, a bomb exploded in a popular tourist area in Cairo, killing a French teenager. That was the first deadly attack on tourists in Egypt since 2006.

Egypt, with a population of about 80 million, is predominantly Muslim but has a large Christian minority, most of them Copts

By-Routers