A car bomb exploded Saturday near an Egyptian military intelligence compound in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia, wounding six soldiers, security officials said, as militants appear to be expanding the scope of attacks beyond the restive Sinai Peninsula.
Meanwhile, state media said top security officials testified behind closed doors in Cairo in the retrial of former president Hosni Mubarak, who faces charges related to the killings of some 900 protesters during the 2011 uprising that led to his ouster.
The blast in Ismailia came as some returned to work after the major Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. Security officials said part of the compound’s wall collapsed and a nearby commercial building, belonging to the Suez Canal Authority, was damaged. Soldiers sealed off the area as authorities began an investigation into the blast, they said.
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The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to brief journalists.