Police kill five militants in shootout near Cairo

10 additional suspects arrested as part of sting on group said plotting to attack churches

By AP and ToI Staff 18 December 2017, 8:08 pm

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Egyptian policemen inspect the scene of an attack which killed five of their colleagues in a shooting near Badrasheen, some 20 km. (12 miles) from Cairo, on July 14, 2017. (AFP Photo/Ahmed Abd El-Gawad)

CAIRO, Egypt — Police killed five suspected militants in a shootout just outside Cairo on Monday, according to the Egyptian Interior Ministry.

The ministry, which oversees security forces, said police launched a raid against the militants in el-Obour, just north of the capital. It said another 10 suspects were arrested in follow-up raids nearby and in the northern city of Alexandria.

The statement said that the suspects were part of a militant group plotting to attack churches. Rifles and ammunition were found at the scenes of the raids, it added.

Egypt has been struggling to combat an Islamic State-led insurgency in the northern Sinai Peninsula. IS and other groups have carried out a string of attacks across the country in recent years.