Egyptian police have arrested a 49-year-old tailor who allegedly carried out a firebomb attack on the main synagogue in the capital Cairo on Sunday. Gamal Hussein Ahmed, who according to Egyptian authorities is a drug addict with a criminal record, was apprehend in Cairo in the early hours of Tuesday, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

According to police, Ahmed was jailed in the 1980s for arson and in the 1990s for fraud. He was arrested on Tuesday while on his way to the US Embassy, where he reportedly wanted to seek political asylum. Ahmed apparently confessed and told investigators that he had committed the attack because he was "angry at what is taking place in the Palestinian territories.”

A small makeshift explosive device went off outside the synagogue in central Cairo, causing no injuries to people or damage to the building. The explosive device was made of four containers of petrol that were attached to a bottle of sulfuric acid, a piece of cotton, a match and a cigarette lighter, officials said.