12 injured in explosion in downtown Cairo

Investigators work at the site of an explosion in Cairo, Egypt, Oct 14, 2014. At least 12 people were injured in the explosion in downtown Cairo late Tuesday, al-Ahram's Arabic website reported on Tuesday. [Photo/Xinhua]

CAIRO - At least 12 people were injured in an explosion in the downtown of Egypt's capital Cairo late Tuesday, al-Ahram's Arabic website reported on Tuesday.

A car bomb explosion went off near the supreme court in Ramses Street of downtown Cairo on Tuesday night, injuring 12 people, Ahram quoted Mohamed Sultan, an official of Health Ministry said.

The blast also caused damages of some shops nearby. No serious injuries were reported so far and the injured have been transferred to hospital.

The police sealed off the explosion area and begin investigation. No deaths have been reported yet according to the Health Ministry.

No one claimed responsibility for the explosion yet.

Since the ouster of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi by the army last July, a wave of explosions have targeted security men and their premises in the restive Sinai Peninsula, which have lately extended to hit the capital, the Nile Delta cities and other provinces across the country.

A recent official report said the death toll from such attacks has reached nearly 500, most of whom soldiers and policemen.

The army has launched a large-scale operation since Morsi's removal to uproot the crime hideouts in the restive Sinai. The al- Qaida-inspired Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis group has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks.