The firebomb killed 16 people and wounded 3 others
Cairo: In the early evening hours of Friday, a restaurant in a prime area in Cairo met with a fateful siege. The Al Sayad restaurant in central Agouza was firebombed, killing 16 civilians and severely injuring 3 others. Out of the sixteen casualties, 11 were staff members of the restaurant according to the Interior Ministry spokesman Abu Bakr Abdel-Karim. Most of those killed have been found to have died of fatal burns and inhalation of toxic smoke.
MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/Getty Images
The restaurant, built underground in a basement, had just one door leading in and out, making it that much harder for people to rush to safety. Egyptian investigative authorities have pinpointed six suspects, two of whom had been disallowed entry into the building earlier. The restaurant, based on the banks of the river Nile, is under scrutiny from forensic teams and other investigator, who attempt to salvage evidence from the charred ruins.
Eyewitnesses both inside and outside the restaurant have suggested that firemen were not quick in their operations because they were unaware that anyone was trapped inside the restaurant. Since the firebombs were thrown inside the restaurant through the only entrance, there was barely any opportunity for the people inside to escape. The fire broke out at 06:30 local time. Eyewitness accounts and videos have also suggested that the entrance was heaving under immense smoke trailing out of the doorway at street level, when passersby tried to come close and offer help.
Image: Reuters
Although Cairo has been host to many brutal terrorist attacks in the recent past, especially after the ouster of President Mohammed Morsi in 2013, police are still unsure whether this attack was also orchestrated by Islamist militants. A nearby chemist said that at first, he assumed it was a terrorist attack when he saw some men fleeing the location on motorbikes, but then recognized them to be the people he saw being barred from the nightclub-restaurant a day ago.
Source: BBC
Tags: Cairo Cairo restaurant bombed Egypt
