Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni Monday expressed his country's firm backing for Egypt in fighting "terrorism" after ISIS said it bombed Rome's consulate in Cairo. ISIS claimed Saturday's car bombing on the city center complex in the first such attack on a foreign mission in Egypt . "This attempt to strike at Egypt-Italy cooperation will fail. We will continue to work together, whether for counter-terrorism or for peace," Gentiloni said at a joint news conference in Cairo with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukri. Gentiloni called the consulate bombing a symbolic attack on Egyptian-Italian relations, "especially in counter-terrorism." He did not elaborate on the nature of such work the two countries were involved in. His remarks came a day after Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi hailed Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as the only leader who can "save" Egypt, and vowed that Rome would not be intimidated. Shoukri said investigations were continuing to find those behind the attack, which was claimed by ISIS. He said many militant groups were attracted to ISIS and were pledging their allegiance to the jihadis. "But this does not necessarily mean they are part and parcel of Daesh," he said, referring to ISIS by its Arabic acronym. Experts say the attack on the consulate was a message to Cairo's Western allies, and showed that ISIS had stepped up its campaign against Sisi's regime. The attack came less than two weeks after suspected militants assassinated Egypt's top prosecutor in a Cairo car bombing.
