BREAKING: Explosion Outside U.S. Embassy in Cairo

See below for updates to this story.

Early reports indicate that a man detonated explosives outside the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, today. Security forces arrested a man at the scene.

Breaking: Witness says @USEmbassyCairo is on lockdown after a person reportedly attempted to detonate himself outside the premises. Police were able to quickly intervene and arrest the person. Reports of an additional bomb supposedly near by. This is a developing story. #Egypt pic.twitter.com/KJltgJvg82

— Adel El-Adawy (@adeladawy) September 4, 2018

Video | The arrest of the person who threw the explosive device at the US embassy in central #Cairo
Source (Social media) pic.twitter.com/TIdpMsvnzK

— Amr Elqazaz (@amrsalama) September 4, 2018

CBS News says unconfirmed reports indicate a second explosive device was found nearby.

The U.S. Embassy has advised Americans to avoid the area:

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• We are aware of a reported incident on Simon Bolivar Street in Cairo. Please avoid the area and monitor local media for updates. We are aware of reports that public transportation near the area has been disrupted due to the incident. Please exercise caution.

— US Embassy Cairo (@USEmbassyCairo) September 4, 2018

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•U.S. Citizens should/not come to the Embassy at this time. Please email [email protected] with any questions.
•U.S. Citizens: Sign up for Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) for security updates at https://t.co/UMoke72V75.

— US Embassy Cairo (@USEmbassyCairo) September 4, 2018

The embassy is located in downtown Cairo, not far from Tahrir Square.

This incident occurs just days before joint U.S.-Egypt Bright Star military exercises are to take place near Alexandria.

🇺🇸U.S. military forces join the Egyptian armed forces for Exercise #BrightStar2018 at Mohamed Naguib Military Base, 🇪🇬#Egypt. @CENTCOMArabic @USEmbassyCairo @EgyArmySpox @USAFCENT @usarmycentral @SOCCENT https://t.co/qevLiUQjSS

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) August 30, 2018

As I reported here at PJ Media back in May 2017, the State Department issued a warning about threats made against the Cairo embassy by the Muslim Brotherhood terror cell Hassm, which was designated a terrorist organization by the State Department back in January of this year.

The Cairo embassy was also attacked by a mob on September 11, 2012 — the same day as the attack on the U.S. consulate compound in Benghazi, Libya.

The mob had been incited by Egyptian media reports of the “Innocence of Muslims” YouTube video. The attack was claimed by the “Omar Abdel-Rahman Brigade,” named for the Egyptian “Blind Sheikh” terror leader imprisoned in the U.S. for his role in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

The embassy had initially issued a statement of apology for the video hours before the mob had gathered and later breached the embassy compound, which was attacked by the Mitt Romney presidential campaign for failing to defend the principle of freedom of speech. The Obama White House distanced itself from the embassy’s statement, which was later removed from the State Department’s website.

Two days later, the embassy got into a public Twitter spat with the Muslim Brotherhood, calling out the hypocrisy of the Brotherhood’s public condemnation of the attack in English while justifying the grounds for the attack in Arabic.

The U.S. ambassador to Egypt at the time, Anne Patterson, was a major target of the Tamarod protests in June 2013 that led to the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi, a former spokesman of the Muslim Brotherhood. Patterson was criticized for her close association and perceived support of the Muslim Brotherhood. She was later removed from Cairo and given a promotion at the State Department in Washington, D.C.

UPDATE 10:10 a.m. EST: The U.S. Embassy has reopened and resumed normal activities:

• Police have finished their investigations at the scene of the incident. The Embassy is resuming normal business. Please Sign up for Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) for security updates at https://t.co/UMoke72V75.

— US Embassy Cairo (@USEmbassyCairo) September 4, 2018

It appears the would-be bomber suffered from premature detonation:

#Egypt update- explosion outside #US embassy in #Cairo seems to have been an IED that fizzled in the assailants backpack, also explaining initial (false) reports of a suicide bomber pic.twitter.com/zTEkOtQjA6

— Oded Berkowitz (@Oded121351) September 4, 2018

It is still unclear if he was going to conduct a suicide bombing.