The White House on Monday condemned a car bomb attack in Cairo that killed Egypt's top public prosecutor and injured nine people in his convoy.

"The United States stands by Egypt at this difficult time, as we continue to work together to fight the scourge of terrorism," the White House said in a statement. Prosecutor-General Hisham Barakat is the most senior Egyptian official to die at the hands of militants since an Islamist president was toppled two years ago.