"The Cabinet insists that this criminal act will not prevent the government from confronting terrorism with force and determination," the interim government said in a statement on Thursday.

Speaking on state television after the attack, interim Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim said his convoy was targeted by a large explosive device which had apparently been blown up by remote control. He said the attack targeted his own car.

The incident happened near the minister’s motorcade in Cairo's eastern Nasr City. At least 22 people were injured in the blast, including two policemen and a child. Some reports say two suspected attackers were killed by police.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

Meanwhile, the military-backed interim government has stepped up the military trials of supporters of the ousted president Mohamed Morsi. The military courts have handed long jail sentences to Muslim Brotherhood leaders and members over the past couple of days.

The North African country has been the scene of increasing violence since the military ouster of Morsi in July.

The army-appointed government has launched a bloody crackdown on Morsi supporters and arrested more than 2,000 Brotherhood members, including the party’s supreme leader, Mohamed Badie, who was detained on August 20 on charges of “inciting violence.”

Hundreds of people have lost their lives in the violence between Morsi supporters and the security forces so far.

The massacre sparked international condemnation and prompted world bodies to call for an independent investigation into the violence.

SHI/SHI