Italian Consulate bombing hits home for Cairo, Rome
The security situation in Egypt is precarious, with little hope for future improvement.
The Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the July 11 attack on the Italian Consulate in downtown Cairo, which destroyed the historic building, killed a bystander and injured at least 10 others. The attack is unprecedented, if somewhat expected.
Since at least the winter of 2013, diplomats from and bureaucrats in most major Western capitals, including those with warm ties to Cairo, have been expecting an attack on either soft or Western targets in Egypt, and privately expressing this in closed circles. That has been the case for American diplomats, but also for international representatives from most European capitals.
