CAIRO: A senior police officer was shot dead late Saturday by unknown assailants in the restive North Sinai city of Arish, the Interior Ministry stated.
Brigadier General Ahmad Abd al-Sattar Askar of the Civil Status Department (CSD) was killed near the Arish police station after assailants opened fire at him from a passing vehicle, according to the statement.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Most Sinai attacks have been claimed responsibility by the Sinai Province, formerly Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group.
Security forces cordoned the scene and combed the area of the attack in search of the perpetrators, according to the statement; a police report was filed and prosecution has started investigations into the incident.
Egypt has witnessed a significant rise in militancy since the military-backed ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 following mass protests against his rule. According to the Interior Ministry, militant attacks have killed more than 500 security personnel since then.
In a similar incident earlier this week, the Sinai Province militant group killed senior police officer Khaled Kamal Osman in a drive-by shooting in Arish.
A total of 438 suspected militants have been killed so far since security forces launched the “Martyr’s Right” operation against Islamic State (IS) militants in Sinai, military spokesperson Mohamed Samir announced Thursday.