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New Egyptian militant group claims responsibility for Giza bombing

Ajnad Misr, or Egypt's Soldiers, says it was behind double attack on police checkpoint which wounded six people
Egyptian security forces look at the shattered windscreen of a vehicle damaged in the Giza bombings
Egyptian security forces look at the shattered windscreen of a police vehicle damaged in the Giza bombings. Photograph: Aly Hazzaa/AP

A newly formed militant group has claimed responsibility for a bomb attack targeting a police checkpoint in Cairo's twin city of Giza that wounded six people.

In a statement on Friday night, Ajnad Misr, Arabic for Egypt's Soldiers, said it had carried out the double bombing that hit a police vehicle on a bridge earlier in the day.

It said its "soldiers reached the heart of the criminal apparatus … to send a message to them that they are not safe from retribution."

Its fighters were monitoring the movements of the police and the headquarters from which "they launch their attacks every Friday killing and abusing innocent people", it said.

The group issued its first statement last week, claiming responsibility for several such bombings including one on 24 January that hit police just as they returned from clashes with Muslim Brotherhood supporters protesting against the removal of Mohamed Morsi as president.

Ajnad Misr vowed to continue its attacks on policemen, urging them to defect and repent. It said it would not keep quiet until "justice prevails and a state accepted by God is established".

It said police should "leave the service before being overpowered because the events are accelerating and the chance to defect might not last long".

The authenticity of the statement could not be verified, but it was posted on an al-Qaida-affiliated website frequently used for militant claims.

Militant attacks have increased in Egypt since Morsi's overthrow. Many of the deadliest have been claimed by the Sinai-based Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, or Champions of Jerusalem.

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