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Cairo Blast Kills 6 Police Officers

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Egyptian policemen and explosives experts look for evidence at the site of a bomb explosion in Cairo, Egypt, Dec. 9, 2016.
Egyptian policemen and explosives experts look for evidence at the site of a bomb explosion in Cairo, Egypt, Dec. 9, 2016.

An explosion near a security checkpoint on a main road in Cairo killed six police officers and wounded three others Friday.

The explosion occurred on a road which leads to the Giza pyramids and is often filled with tour buses. It smashed several cars and broke the windows of police SUVs, leaving debris and gravel strewn about the area.

A security cordon has been put in place around the site of the attack, with masked troops standing guard with automatic weapons as investigators inspect the scene.

A group called Hasm or "Decisiveness" claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted online.

"There is no safety or security for you as long as we hold our weapons in jihad for God; there is either victory or martyrdom," the statement read.

The Egyptian government suspects the group, which has carried out previous attacks in Cairo, is linked to the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood.

The attack marks the deadliest Cairo has seen since May, when gunmen killed eight police officers in plainclothes after opening fire on a microbus.

PHOTOS: Cairo Blast Kills Police Officers

Cairo Blast Kills 6 Police Officers

Detectives inspect the site of an explosion in Giza, Egypt, Dec. 9, 2016. (H. Elrasam/VOA)
1/7 Detectives inspect the site of an explosion in Giza, Egypt, Dec. 9, 2016. (H. Elrasam/VOA)
Egyptian police soldiers become emotional after losing friends and coworkers in an explosion in Giza, Egypt, Dec. 9, 2016. (H. Elrasam/VOA)
2/7 Egyptian police soldiers become emotional after losing friends and coworkers in an explosion in Giza, Egypt, Dec. 9, 2016. (H. Elrasam/VOA)
Residents watch the inspection of the explosion in Giza, Egypt, Dec. 9, 2016. The explosion hit at 9:30 a.m., and then police blocked the road. (H. Elrasam/VOA)
3/7 Residents watch the inspection of the explosion in Giza, Egypt, Dec. 9, 2016. The explosion hit at 9:30 a.m., and then police blocked the road. (H. Elrasam/VOA)
Paramedics wait at the explosion location in Giza, Egypt, Dec. 9, 2016. (H. Elrasam/VOA)
4/7 Paramedics wait at the explosion location in Giza, Egypt, Dec. 9, 2016. (H. Elrasam/VOA)
Displaced Afrin people visit the graves of their beloved ones in the eid
5/7 Displaced Afrin people visit the graves of their beloved ones in the eid
An Egyptian soldier who witnessed the explosion breaks down after telling his testimony in Giza, Egypt, Dec. 9, 2016. (H. Elrasam/VOA)
6/7 An Egyptian soldier who witnessed the explosion breaks down after telling his testimony in Giza, Egypt, Dec. 9, 2016. (H. Elrasam/VOA)
Displaced Afrin people visit the graves of their beloved ones in the eid
7/7 Displaced Afrin people visit the graves of their beloved ones in the eid
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