Bomb near top Cairo court house kills 2, wounds 9

Blood stains are seen on the ground as security officials inspect the scene of a car bomb blast in front of The High Court in downtown Cairo, March 2, 2015.  [Photo/Agencies]

CAIRO - Two people were killed when a bomb exploded near a top court building in central Cairo, the health ministry said, the deadliest attack in three blasts to hit the Egyptian capital on Monday.

The repeated security incidents in Cairo have raised concern over the effectiveness of security forces who have pledged to end Islamist militant violence bedevilling government efforts to revive investment and foreign tourism crucial to the economy and stability of the Arab world's most populous country.

An Interior Ministry statement said the bomb exploded under a car near the courthouse, wounding police and civilians. Health ministry spokesman Dr. Hossam Abdel Ghaffar later told Reuters that two civilians were killed and there were nine wounded.

Security sources said the public prosecutor, whose office is in the building, was inside at the time of the blast. They said he had since left to inspect the scene of the attack.

Crowds gathered in front of the court, where police had blocked off nearby roads. There was some damage to two cars in the area and blood splattered on a nearby pavement.

Later on Monday, a homemade bomb exploded in the Heliopolis suburb of Cairo, an interior ministry security source told state news agency MENA, causing no casualties.

A third bomb, also homemade, exploded near a police station in the Cairo suburb of Maadi, damaging a few cars but causing no casualties, security sources said. The Interior Ministry said on its Facebook page the bomb went off near a fire station.