Egyptian police have killed four fugitive terrorists believed to have been plotting a “major attack” in a shootout near Cairo, the interior ministry said.
The “takfiri” cell had been meeting when police raided their hideout in Giza province, on the southwestern edge of the Egyptian capital, the ministry said in a statement on Friday.
“When the terrorist cell sensed the police drawing near they began shooting at them, which prompted the police force to fire back,” the statement said.
They were “preparing to execute a major attack in the coming period,” it added.
The ministry identified one of them as Sameh Mohamed Farahat Abd el-Mageed, a 30-year-old leader of a takfiri group.
Ammunition, weapons and a car were found at the scene, the statement said. It did not identify the three other men.
ISIS’ Egyptian branch has killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers in attacks, mostly in the Sinai Peninsula but also in Cairo.
Asharq Al-Awsat English
Asharq Al-Awsat is the world’s premier pan-Arab daily newspaper, printed simultaneously each day on four continents in 14 cities. Launched in London in 1978, Asharq Al-Awsat has established itself as the decisive publication on pan-Arab and international affairs, offering its readers in-depth analysis and exclusive editorials, as well as the most comprehensive coverage of the entire Arab world.
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