A man threw a homemade bomb at a synagogue in central Cairo on Sunday morning, Egyptian police said. No one was hurt and no property was damaged, dpa reported.
Police cordoned off the scene. Witnesses told the German Press Agency dpa they had seen a forensic team studying a black bag surrounded by broken glass.
Police told dpa that they were searching for a man who asked to see a room at a hotel opposite the synagogue, threw a bag out the window of the hotel lobby, and fled though an alley next to the hotel.
The bag exploded, but no one was injured, police said, adding that initial investigation showed that it contained flammable liquids.
The suspect had left items of clothing at the scene, according to investigators.