A bomb explosion outside a security headquarters in one of Egypt’s Nile Delta injured 19 people, including policemen early on Wednesday.

A bomb explosion outside a security headquarters in one of Egypt’s Nile Delta injured 19 people, including policemen early on Wednesday.

The bomb blast appeared to target police in the provincial capital city of Mansoura in the delta province of Dakahliya. It raised the specter that indiscriminate attacks targeting security forces could expand to larger cities beyond the usual targets in northern Sinai.

Security officials said 19 people were wounded, 13 policemen and six civilians, when the bomb outside the security directorate in Mansoura exploded after midnight. The city was bustling with people as is common during the holy month of Ramadan.

Police officials exchanged gunfire with unidentified people inside a nearby abandoned building afterward. No further details were immediately available.
Presidential spokesman Ahmad al-Muslimani released a statement calling the incident an act of terrorism.

"The Mansoura terrorist incident will not waver Egypt's resolve," he said. "Egypt has triumphed in the war against terrorism before and will win again today."

Eleven people have been killed in clashes between supporters and opponents of the ousted president, Mohammad Mursi, since Monday. Most were killed in pre-dawn street battles near a pro-Morsi protest camp as the country remained mired in turmoil three weeks after the military overthrew the Muslim Brotherhood’s president.