109kg of explosives seized in Cairo quarter

Cairo: Egyptian police have seized 109kg of explosives in the quarter of Al Madai in southern Cairo, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.

The explosives were found in possession of three local men, who were trading in the illegal substances, the ministry added in a statement.

The suspects, previously convicted in drugs cases, confessed to having peddled in explosives, according to the ministry.

They were arrested after police had been tipped off that the trio had dealt in explosive substances used in blowing up rocks.

In the past week, Egypt has intensified security checks across the country after a deadly bombing in a church adjacent to Cairo’s main Coptic Orthodox Cathedral.

The latest victim of the attack was a 10-year-old girl who died on Tuesday of serious injuries she had sustained in the bombing, raising the death toll to 27 people.

The December 11 suicide attack was claimed by a Sinai-based militant group loyal to Daesh.

The attack was the deadliest against Egypt’s Christian minority in years.

Authorities have also tightened security for fear of militant reprisal after they executed on Thursday a leading hardliner convicted of killing 25 Egyptian policemen in Sinai more than three years ago.

Egypt has seen a series of deadly attacks since the army’s 2013 overthrow of Islamist president Mohammad Mursi following massive street protests against his one-year rule.

The government has blamed the attacks on Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood and the outlawed Islamist group.