Cairo restaurant bomb: 16 killed in Molotov cocktail attack

The restaurant, located in a basement, offered no escape route

A Molotov cocktail hurled at a Cairo restaurant has killed at least 16 people and wounded two on Friday, Egyptian security officials have said.

An official said the attacker was an employee who had been fired from the El Sayad restaurant in the Agouza area in the centre of the Egyptian capital.

Victims of the blast were burned to death or died from smoke inhalation. The restaurant, also a nightclub, was located in a basement, offering no escape route, the officials said.

An unnamed security official is quoted as saying men on a motorcycle threw the Molotov cocktail into the building and then fled, according to local media.

An online video posted by newspaper Youm 7 shows thick black smoke and flames pouring from the doorway of the restaurant.

Reports initially suggested 18 people had been killed in the attack.

Islamist militants have claimed a number of bombing and shooting attacks in Egypt, mostly against members of the security forces since the army toppled President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013 after mass protests.

Additional reporting by various agencies