The deadly explosion at a protest in the Suez Canal city of Port Said on Friday is likely to have been caused by a homemade hand grenade, security sources told Reuters on Saturday.
Egyptian journalist Salah Hassan, 38, was killed on Friday and another 15 people were injured after the explosion in the city’s Al-Shuhada Square, where dozens of protesters opposed to President Mohamed Morsi were gathering.
Initial reports after the incident had said that the explosion was caused by a butane cooking gas cylinder. Port Said’s security director assigned explosive experts on Friday to look into the incident.
The experts' initial report, upon examining the victims' injuries and the incident site, rejected the explanation.
Hassan’s funeral took place earlier on Saturday, starting at Mariam Mosque in Port Said. His mourners chanted against the Muslim Brotherhood, from which Morsi hails.
Hassan, who works as a reporter for Sowt El-Shaab newspaper, leaves a wife and two children.
Friday witnessed nationwide protests in Egypt both for and against the embattled president. Protests turned violent in a number of Nile Delta governorates, with two protesters killed in Alexandria.
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