The April 7 nail-bomb attack on a bazaar jammed with foreign tourists in Cairo left three dead, including a French national and a U.S. citizen. A previously unknown group, the Islamic Brigades of Pride, has claimed responsibility. (Al-Jazeera, April 9) The incident harkens back to the wave of terror in Egypt in the '90s led by the underground Islamic Group. The reformist EgyptElection.com comments:

Political reformers and observers worry that the attack will be used as an excuse to clamp down on growing political demonstrations in the country, and as a reason to continue the state of emergency which has been in place since 1981.