Video Shows Aftermath of Car Bomb That Killed Egypt's Top Prosecutor

Egypt's top prosecutor Hisham Barakat was killed Monday in a bomb blast targeting his motorcade in Cairo.

The attack took place around 10am when a car packed with explosives was detonated by a remote control as Barakat's motorcade passed through the eastern Cairo district of Heliopolis, according to the Associated Press. The blast injured nine people, including two drivers, one civilian, and five members of the security forces, according to Egypt's Ministry of Health.

Barakat, 65, was wounded by shrapnel from the blast and later died at a nearby hospital.

A group calling itself Giza Popular Resistance claimed responsibility for Barakat's assassination on their Facebook page, Reuters reported.The group said it targeted Barakat in front of his house and posted pictures of the attack on Facebook. The statement has since been removed. Although the group is not well known, it has taken responsibility for past attacks on banks and restaurants in Cairo.

For those struggling to remember the Giza Popular Resistance they are the ones who bombed branches of KFC earlier this year — Joel Gulhane - ???? (@jgulhane)June 29, 2015

State media reports that Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met with Interior Minister Magdy Abdel-Ghaffar after the attack and ordered a nationwide tightening of security.

Barakat is the highest-level official to be killed in a wave of violence that has swept Egypt after the military removed the country's first democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi from power in July 2013. Militants have killed hundreds of soldiers and police in the past two years.

As the highest-ranking state prosecutor, Barakat helped to spearhead a crackdown on Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood movement. He froze the assets of prominent members of the group and ordered the arrest of its "Supreme Guide" Mohammed Badie. He also oversaw the acquittal of former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak on charges of conspiring to kill hundreds of demonstrators during the 2011 uprising.

Over the past year, militants have launched a series of attacks targeting Egypt's judges and prosecutors. In May, Egypt's Islamic State affiliate Sinai Province called for a wave of attacks against Egypt's judicial system. An audio recording reportedly released by the group said: "It is wrong for the tyrants to jail our brothers… Poison their food… surveil them at home and in the street… destroy their homes with explosives if you." In January, militants planted a bomb at the house of general prosecutor Judge Khaled Mahgoub that exploded without injuries. Gunmen also killed three judges in the North Sinai city of Al-Arish in May.

Monday's attack took place the day before the two-year anniversary of the protests that led to the ouster of Morsi by the military. Official celebrations commemorating the events were reportedly canceled.

Presidency mourns the death of Prosecutor General Hisham Barakat, cancels celebrations planned for June 30 anniversary

— Mada Masr ?…?? ?…?? (@MadaMasr)June 29, 2015