The Saturday bombing, which took place in the city of Kaft, 630 kilometers south of the capital Cairo, caused no casualties however, state television reported, citing security officials.

The device detonated just before al-Adawi arrived for the inauguration ceremony, which reportedly went ahead as planned.

The development comes as a wave of bombings and shootings continue to target Egypt's security forces since the nation’s former military chief Abdul Fattah al-Sisi ousted the country’s first freely-elected president Mohammed Morsi in July 2013.

Al-Sisi recently resigned from his military post to run for the nation’s presidency next month, which he is widely expected to steal.

Meanwhile, Egypt’s Interior minister Mohammed Ibrahim escaped unhurt when a car bombing targeted his convoy last September in Cairo.

The military-installed authorities claim that militants have killed nearly 500 people since the overthrow of Morsi.

Most militant attacks have been in the restive Sinai Peninsula, but in recent months brazen attacks have also been launched farther afield in the Nile Delta and in the capital.

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