Gunmen Kill 5 Policemen in Southern Egypt

Local Editor

Masked gunmen on motorbikes killed five Egyptian policemen when they opened fire on a checkpoint south of Cairo on Thursday, the interior ministry said.

The ministry said two policemen were also wounded in the attack in the province of Beni Suef, which came two days ahead of the commemoration of the third anniversary of the 2011 uprising.

The assailants fled the scene.

Scores of policemen and soldiers have been killed in bombing and shooting attacks since the overthrow of president Mohamed Mursi in July.

The deadliest attacks have been claimed by al-Qaeda inspired group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis based in the restive Sinai Peninsula, a militant hub that borders the Palestinian Gaza Strip and Occupied Palestine.

The group had claimed a suicide car bombing in December that killed 15 people, mostly policemen, in an attack on security headquarters north of the capital.
At least 250 security personnel have been killed in armed attacks since Mursi's ouster.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Thursday's attack.

A security source said the area was being searched to find those behind the killings.
Police are preparing a massive security deployment for the January 25 commemoration, with Mursi's supporters calling for protests that could lead to clashes with police, as they have in the past.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team