Egyptian security officials say they are investigating a suspected explosive device near the heavily fortified US Embassy in the heart of Cairo, Egypt’s capital.
They say the device was spotted on Tuesday outside the concrete barriers that encircle the embassy and the ambassador’s residence in the leafy district of Garden City.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The US Embassy said in a tweet that it was “aware of a reported incident” near the embassy and advised US citizens to avoid the area.
The area around the embassy has for decades been heavily policed, with concrete barriers blocking vehicular traffic in its immediate vicinity.
In a Tweet at 14:53 local time, the embassy said the incident occurred on Simon Bolivar Street, which is located just metres from the building.
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Asharq Al–Awsat later tweeted that a man had been arrested after trying to throw an explosive device at the US embassy.
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