Eight police officers have been killed by gunmen in an attack south of Cairo, the Egyptian Interior Ministry has said.
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The policemen, who were patrolling the area when the truck blocked their path, included a lieutenant and seven low-ranking officers, the interior ministry said.
The attacks targeting police and military increased after the ouster of Islamist ex-president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 by military following massive protests against his rule.
Terrorists, including from the dreaded Islamist State outfit, have killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers in attacks conducted mostly in the Sinai Peninsula and in and around Cairo. An IS affiliate claimed responsibility for the attack in an online statement, saying it killed everyone in the vehicle. The Ministry of Interior said that at least five people were involved in the attack.
In its statement, the group said “a squad of the soldiers of the caliphate” opened fire on the van in Helwan, killing the policemen and then making off with their weapons.
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Police later tracked down the top Islamic State group operative in Cairo, who was linked to the Croat’s murder, and killed him in a shoot out. Other attacks have crept to the Capital and other cities. That attack was also claimed by the IS branch.
