Egypt PM targeted with suspected car bomb outside his Cairo home

A car collided with a convoy of security vehicles in front of the Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly’s villa compound in Sheikh Zayed City, on the outskirts of Cairo on Monday evening.

No casualties were reported, however the area was placed on lock-down as security and police officers were deployed to the scene to determine whether the car contained explosives.

Security sources say the car had been left in front of the residence and collided with a police car.

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However, some eyewitnesses took to social media to say that the driver opened fire on the security convoy swiftly followed by the police lock-down.

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Days ahead of the 2018 presidential election, a car bomb exploded near a convoy transporting Alexandria security chief General Mostafa el-Nemr, killing one police officer and injuring four others.

Egyptian government and military officials have been the frequent target of attacks by Islamist militants in recent years.

Egypt's Islamic State group affiliate, who maintain a stronghold in the Sinai desert, have carried out a string of disastrous attacks, including of a Russian airliner carrying tourists, as well as mosques and churches.

The government has leveraged the uptick in militant activity to wage a wide-ranging and brutal security crackdown against pro-democracy and human rights activists, some of whom rose up in a short-lived protest movement in September.

Thousands were arrested following the uprisings, including a host of prominent activists, some of whom are thought to have been tortured.