CAIRO: An explosion rocked a busy square in central Cairo late Friday, killing one police officer and causing panic, Egypt’s Interior Ministry and security officials said.

The ministry said the bomb detonated next to a traffic post in Lebanon Square in Cairo’s Mohandessin district, killing Maj. Mohammed Gamal Eddin.

A security official said the bomb was planted inside the traffic post and it exploded around 10 p.m. Cairo time. A second official, however, said unidentified assailants hurled the bomb from a bridge over the traffic post before fleeing. It was not immediately possible to reconcile the two accounts.

Three other people were injured including a senior police officer, the two officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

Security forces sealed off the area while searching for more bombs. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Meanwhile, a satellite television network says Egypt’s top satirist will be off the air until after the upcoming May presidential election to avoid influencing voters.

The Middle East Broadcasting Center said Saturday that Bassem Youssef will be off the air to show “respect for the election process, and to strive to avoid influencing Egyptian voters’ orientation and public opinion.”