Bomb Explodes in Cairo Near Italian Consulate

A bomb exploded in central Cairo as the government continues to face an insurgency growing in boldness and intensity.

Reuters reports the explosion took place just outside the Italian consulate, severely damaging the building, killing one person and wounding 10, including two police officers, and blowing out windows and destroying other nearby structures. Witnesses told Reuters that the explosion could be heard throughout the city, putting city residents no edge.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which was done through a remote controlled car bomb.There are a number of militant Islamist groups fighting the Egyptian government since the overthrow of the democratically-elected Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi. Among those groups is at least one that has publicly aligned itself with the Islamic State.

The Egyptian government has blamed the Muslim Brotherhood for much of the violence that has torn through the country since the military seized power in a coup. The Muslim Brotherhood says that it is non-violent and seeks change through peaceful demonstrations.

This strategy has not always worked, as the Egyptian military has killed hundreds of protesting Brotherhood supporters in the streets. One incident, in which hundreds were killed in a matter of hours at Rabaa Square, has been described as a crime against humanity by human rights organizations.

Such actions have only added fuel to the fire that is the insurgency, which has recently made large gains against the government. Within the last two weeks, Egypt's attorney general, who oversaw mass death sentences for people who could prove they weren't even in the town they were accused of committing a crime in, was killed in a car bomb.

Then, insurgents launched a series of attacks on Egyptian police and military checkpoints in the Sinai Peninsula, seizing control of the town of Sheik Zaweid. The government could only regain control after using warplanes to attack the town.