Bomb hurled at Egypt8217;s largest synagogue; no damage

The bag fell onto the sidewalk in front of the hotel and briefly caught fire before being extinguished,police said.

There were no injuries and no damage to the historic downtown synagogue.

The synagogue,Egypt8217;s largest,was built in 1899 and is the only one still conducting services for the Jewish high holidays,which are sometimes attended by Israeli diplomats.

An investigation team led by chief prosecutor Mohamed Ahmed Qassem rushed to the scene immediately after the incident to collect evidence. The suspect fled the scene and is now being sought by police.

The unidentified attacker had gone up to the fourth floor of the three-star Panorama Hotel opposite the synagogue in Adly Street carrying a medium-sized bag and asked to book a room.

Fathallah Ahmed,a cleaner,said the attacker was a tawny-skinned male in his early forties,wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase and a plastic bag.

Initial examinations showed that the incendiary charge used was a man-made rudimentary contraption.

The makeshift was made of four containers of petrol attached to a one litre bottle of sulphuric acid,a piece of cotton,a match and a cigarette lighter,a source said.

When the attacker threw the bag the glass bottle broke causing the materials inside to mix and alight the fire.

Fortunately there were no tourists visiting the Jewish temple at the time of the attack.