Egyptian interior minister unhurt when bomb hits convoy; 8 injured

CAIRO, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- A bomb thrown at the convoy of Egyptian Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim injured at least eight people Thursday, officials in Cairo said.

Ibrahim was not hurt in what Egyptian state television described as an assassination attempt, Ahram Online reported.

At least eight people, including six security officers and a child, were injured in the attack, the Egypt Ambulance Authority said.

Ibrahim said four vehicles among his convoy sustained damaged, as well as a number of civilian-owned vehicles. The explosion also damaged several businesses.

The blast occurred near Ibrahim's residence in Cairo's Nasr City district, a stronghold for supporters of Egypt's ousted President Mohamed Morsi.

In his first television interview since he was installed as Egypt's interim president, Adly Mansour dismissed claims that Morsi's ouster would lead to a return of the regime of Hosni Mubarak, who was toppled before Morsi, Ahram Online reported Wednesday.

"No force can turn back the clock, neither to the former regime or the one before it," Morsi said in an interview Tuesday on state television. "What happened after 25 January [2011] was an attempt at creating a clone of the former regime but with a religious tone."

Mansour rejected concerns that a police state was being re-established after security forces violently dispersed two pro-Morsi protest camps in Cairo in mid-August. Hundreds of people died and numerous arrests were made among Muslim Brotherhood leaders and members. Morsi, ousted in early July, is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.

"I know the police faced a lot of criticism in dispersing the [pro-Morsi] sit-ins, which were not peaceful, but they tried to pursue all peaceful stages [to clear the camps] and there was no response," Mansour said.

Mansour said the resignation of former Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei in protest over the issue caught him by surprise.

Mansour also said in the interview that foreign investment in Egypt has fallen to $2 billion after having reached $13 billion in 2007, Ahram Online reported.

"The cabinet's priorities are to commit to the transitional road map, to restore security and to improve the economic situation," he said.