An improvised explosive device exploded early on Friday in front of a security checkpoint in downtown Cairo, near the Egyptian Parliament. No casualties were reported. Civil defence forces and bomb disposal experts combed the area for other bombs, security sources said. Security was subsequently stepped up on the main streets and on the outskirts of the city. Egypt has been subjected to a wave of terrorist attacks in recent months, including bombings and shootings. Most of them targeted policemen and soldiers, but civilians have also been killed and injured in the violence.
