Isis in Egypt: Daesh claims it caused bomb blast near pyramids as death-toll climbs to nine

The offshoot of Islamic State in Egypt has claimed responsibility for a bomb blast in a Cairo suburb near the pyramids at Giza, as the death toll from the explosion climbs to nine.

IS (Isis/Daesh) issued a statement on social media in its usual format claiming the attack. Security sources have told Reuters news agency that nine people have been killed by the makeshift bomb which exploded as police prepared to raid a militant bolthole.

Six policemen were among those killed as security services attempted to defuse an improvised device at the apartment just north of Cairo. Ten were wounded.

Egypt has been plagued by Islamist violence, particularly in its restive Sinai peninsula, following the ouster of Muslim Brotherhood president Mohammed Morsi in 2013. The leadership of military strongman Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has been rocked by the militant insurgency and its increasingly audacious attacks.

On 20 January the IS affialiate Sinai Province claimed an attack on a checkpoint in the North Sinai town of El-Arish, which killed five police.

The group gained international infamy following the downing of Metrojet flight 9268, in which 224 Russian passengers and crew were killed. Sinai Province claimed responsibility for the downing and the militant group's propaganda outlet Dabiq published images of a Schweppes soft drink can with the caption "Image of the IED used to bring down the Russian airliner".

Security forces in Egypt are on high alert in anticipation of widespread protests, and possible attacks against the country's authoritarian regime on the fifth anniversary of the country's 25 January revolution.

"Police had information that a group of Muslim Brotherhood members were preparing to carry out aggressive acts in the coming days using explosives and crude bombs," the Egyptian Ministry of Interior has claimed.