A powerful bomb ripped through the Italian consulate in Cairo Saturday, killing one person.

A powerful bomb ripped through the Italian consulate in Cairo Saturday, killing one person, the first assault on a foreign mission in Egypt in two-year extremist attacks against security forces.

The consulate in central Cairo was closed at the time of the explosion around 6:30 am (0430 GMT), which brought down the facade of the building and could be heard across the capital.

A health ministry spokesman said the blast killed one person and wounded four. Medics had earlier said two policemen and three passers-by had been wounded.

Italy swiftly condemned the attack, with its foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni saying "Italy will not let itself be intimidated."
He added on Twitter that there were no Italian casualties.

Militants have carried out scores of attacks since the army overthrew Muslim Brotherhood’s president Mohammad Mursi in July 2013, killing hundreds of policemen and soldiers mostly in the Sinai Peninsula.

Diplomats had told AFP they had been warned by police months ago that embassies could be targeted, but it was not clear whether this was based on specific intelligence.

At least one Western embassy had relocated over security concerns.
The Italian consul in Cairo arrived at the scene of the attack and went inside the building to inspect it, refusing to speak to reporters.

The official MENA news agency reported that the blast was caused by car bomb.
It brought down part of the building, and the remains of at least one vehicle were strewn on the street.

The attack came less than two weeks after suspected militants assassinated the country's top prosecutor in a car bombing in the capital.

In Sinai, Takfiris loyal to ISIL group (so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Levant) launched a wave of attacks on July 1 that killed at least 21 soldiers.