A fire erupted early this morning in front of the Jewish synagogue on Adly Street in downtown Cairo, Ministry of Interior sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm. Eyewitnesses in front of the synagogue said that sometime between 6:30 and 7 AM they saw a black bag with broken glass around it on the pavement opposite the synagogue. An Egyptian is suspected to have checked into a hotel adjacent to the synagogue early on Sunday, according to a doorman who spoke on condition of anonymity to Al-Masry Al-Youm and according to an official statement by the Interior Ministry. The suspect later left the building and threw a back case at the synagogue. A spokesperson for the Cairo Security Directorate told Al-Masry Al-Youm, "There was a black bag that caught on fire. This is why terrorist intention was suspected. Until now there is no evidence to confirm this suspicion." The police added that the bag contained clothes, and a homemade bomb consisting of fuel cans and sulfuric acid, which burned briefly but did not detonate. Forensic investigators were on the scene, where the fire has been fully contained. Police confirmed that the inside of the synagogue was not affected by the fire. Plainclothes agents spread across Adly Street and the adjacent area, cordoning journalists off the scene. No evidence of broken glass or the fire are visible.
