Italy consulate in Cairo suspends consular services

The Italian Embassy in Cairo announced Sunday that it will temporarily suspend its consular services until further notice.

The decision came following the attack which took place yesterday in the vicinity of the Italian Consulate in Cairo.

The blast destroyed a number of consulate's offices, especially the visa office, the embassy said in a statement.

The visa office issues as many as 2,200 visas annually, added the statement.

According to the initial inspection of the prosecution, a car bomb exploded in front of the Italian consulate in Cairo Saturday, killing one person and injuring nine others.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the early morning blast, which caused heavy damage to the consulate. It shook other buildings downtown and could be heard in several surrounding neighborhoods.

Italy's Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said there were no Italian victims in the blast. "Italy will not be intimidated," he said on Twitter.