EL-ARISH, Egypt: Egyptian security officials said a car bomb was detonated near a military intelligence compound in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia, wounding four soldiers.

Ismailia borders the restive Sinai Peninsula, where the military is on the offensive against insurgents who frequently target Egypt’s security forces and facilities.

In recent months the militants have expanded the scope of attacks, carrying out bombings in the Suez Canal area and even Cairo.

The Saturday blast attack in Ismailia came on the first work day after the Eid Al-Adha holiday. The officials said part of the military intelligence compound’s wall collapsed and a building nearby was damaged.

Meanwhile, Egyptian state media say top security officials are testifying behind closed doors in the retrial of ex-president Hosni Mubarak, who faces charges related to the killings of around 900 protesters during the 2011 uprising that led to his ouster.

The 85-year-old former autocrat was previously convicted of failing to stop the killings, but that was overturned on appeals earlier this year.

The state-owned Nile TV says two security officials, including former intelligence chief Murad Muwafi, took the stand in the Saturday court session.

The presiding judge previously ordered that testimony of security officials take place under a media blackout for reasons of national security. In addition to Mubarak, six top police officials and the former interior minister, who oversaw Egypt’s feared police for more than a decade, are on trial.