U.S. citizen dies from wounds sustained in Cairo bombing, taking death toll to three

An American citizen died early Friday from wounds sustained in the Cairo bomb blast, taking the death toll from the attack to three, a U.S. Embassy spokeswoman said.

Micaela Schweitzer-Bluhm said several Americans were targeted in Thursday's explosion in a packed bazaar area in Cairo's old city, which also killed a French woman and another person whose identity has not yet been revealed.

"One of the Americans has died as a result of the wounds from the bombing early this (Friday) morning," Schweitzer-Bluhm said. She provided no further details, including how many Americans had been injured.

Egypt's Interior Ministry has said that nine Egyptians and nine foreigners _ including four Americans _ were wounded in the blast in the al-Moski bazaar, a maze of narrow alleys with shops selling jewelry, souvenirs and clothes connected to the biggest tourist souq, Khan al-Khalili.

Brig. Gen. Nabil al-Azabi, head of security in Cairo, said one of those killed at the scene may have been the bomber.

The attack in the Egyptian capital follows a long period of calm since security forces suppressed Islamic militants who in the 1990s carried out bombings and shootings against tourists in their campaign to bring down the government.

The last significant attack on tourists in Cairo was in 1997, a year when another 62 were killed in another attack in Luxor.

Police were still cordoning off the attack scene located in a usually bustling area in the heart of Islamic Cairo which is also near al-Azhar, one of the most prestigious Islamic institutions in the Sunni Muslim world, in Cairo's old city.

Doctors said many of the wounded had severe wounds from nails packed in the bomb, doctors said. Among the wounded foreigners were also three French and a Turk, the ministry said. It also said an Italian was injured, but Italian diplomats leaving the hospital later said there were no Italians among the casualties and there was no explanation for the discrepancy.

The U.S. Embassy in Cairo put out a warden message warning Americans to stay away from Khan al-Khalili, the sprawling bazaar area, and to use prudence elsewhere in the city.

Associated Press