According to Egyptian police, man checked into four-story hotel before abruptly throwing suitcase out the window at Jewish holy site across street. Explosive device causes brief fire but no injuries
Roee Nahmias and AP

Egyptian police reported Sunday that a makeshift bomb was hurled at Cairo's main downtown synagogue in the early hours of the morning, causing a brief fire but no injuries, the official news agency reported.

An Egyptian security source said the device was thrown by an unknown person who arrived at the Panorama Hotel, which is located across the street from the synagogue. The man was carrying a medium-sized suitcase and asked the reception clerk for a room. He abruptly walked out of the lobby towards the entrance, threw the suitcase and escaped into an alley.

The case, which contained a makeshift bomb made of gasoline cans and sulfuric acid, burned briefly but did not detonate.

There were no injuries and police were seeking the suspect, who fled the scene.

Egypt's once thriving Jewish community largely left the country 50 years ago during hostilities between Egypt and Israel, but a number of heavily guarded synagogues remain.