Police are searching for two young men who carried out a firebomb attack at a "nightclub" in Cairo early Friday that killed 16 people and left three others wounded, authorities report.
The incident occurred at the El Sayad Restaurant in Cairo's Agouza district, reported the Associated Press. Though the location is not officially a nightclub, it serves food and alcohol throughout the day, then turns into a bar until the early morning hours - a method small eateries use to skirt taboos around drinking in the predominantly Muslim country. Alcohol is legal in Egypt, but most restaurants and clubs don't possess liquor licenses.
It was reported by the state-run Nile TV that security officials denied that the incident was related to terrorism, saying it was purely criminal, according to CNN.
However, there appeared to be initial confusion about what the actual motive was.
One official reportedly said that the attacker was an employee who was recently fired, while The Interior Ministry said the incident occurred following a dispute between the nightclub staff and the two men who were denied entry to the bar, according to Voice of America.
A manhunt has been launched for the attackers, but the search so far has been inconclusive.
