Two Egypt Bombs Wound Six Officers

Six Egyptian policemen were wounded in a bomb attack in Cairo on Friday, hours before clashes between police and Islamist protesters in several cities killed at least one person, officials said.

The attack shattered a tense calm in the capital after a spate of bombings on January 24 killed six policemen, in an escalation of a militant campaign following the overthrow of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi.

The interior ministry said two small bombs exploded near policemen stationed on a bridge near central Cairo. At least six were wounded in the attack, the health ministry said.

Police cordoned off the scene, where a lightly damaged police truck appeared to have borne the brunt of the blast.

State television reported that the attack targeted a checkpoint set up to counter a scheduled protest by Morsi's Islamist supporters, who had called for rallies on Friday.

Police dispersed several protest marches that set off from mosques after noon prayers, security officials said.

One person was killed in the violence in Fayoum, a city south west of Cairo.

The country has been shaken by persistent and often violent protests as well as bombings and shootings since the military overthrew Morsi on July 3.

Militant attacks on police and soldiers have killed scores, mostly in the restive Sinai Peninsula.

Jihadists based in the peninsula have also claimed responsibility for attacks on police in Cairo and elsewhere.

An al-Qaida-inspired group in the Sinai said it carried out a car bombing outside Cairo police headquarters on January 24 that killed four people.

Two more policemen were killed in three additional bombings in the capital that day.