A car bomb Monday morning killed Egypt’s top judicial official, General Prosecutor Hisham Barakat. The now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group has vowed to step up anti-government activities to mark the ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi on June 30, 2013.

Amateur video showed firemen trying to douse flames pouring from burning vehicles after a powerful car bomb blast struck the convoy of Egypt’s top prosecutor. Initial reports said General Prosecutor Hisham Barakat was “lightly wounded” but the state news agency later said he died during “critical” surgery.

Cairo Governor Galal Mustapha Saeed told Egyptian media he visited the site of the blast and said that security measures were in place for Tuesday’s second anniversary of the ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for Monday’s attack.

Egyptian TV noted that the Islamic State in Sinai, the militant group previously known as Beit al Maqdis, recently released a video of an attack which killed three judges in the northern Sinai town of Arish. That attack occurred shortly after death sentences were confirmed against top Muslim Brotherhood leaders.

The Muslim Brotherhood, outlawed by the Egyptian government after Morsi’s removal, has threatened to carry out acts of defiance to mark the anniversary. Death sentences against Morsi and other top Brotherhood leaders were recently upheld by a Cairo appeals court.

Witnesses said the facades of nearby apartments were destroyed by the force of Monday’s car bomb blast.

One man said the explosion was very powerful and it blew debris everywhere.

Government spokesman Hossam Koweitch told Egyptian TV that Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb was cutting short a visit to Upper Egypt and returning to Cairo. He insisted that the attack was aimed at creating turmoil in Egyptian society.

The Arab League also met in Cairo Monday to discuss recent acts of terrorism in a number of Arab states, including Tunisia, Kuwait and Egypt. Arab League head Nabil Elarabi declared that the body stood by member states hit by acts of terrorism.

He said recent attacks aimed to destroy the underpinnings of Arab society.

  car bomb, dead, deceased, egypt, general prosecutor, hisham barakat, muslim brotherhood