At least 35 Egyptian police officers killed in shoot-out

Authorities were raiding an apartment thought to house eight militants in Egypt's western desert

Egyptian policemen inspect the scene of an attack which left five of their colleagues killed in a shooting near Giza in July (AFP)

Friday 20 October 2017

At least 35 police officers were killed in a shoot-out during a raid on a suspected militant hideout in Egypt's western desert, two security sources said on Friday.

The sources said authorities were following a lead to an apartment thought to house eight suspected members of Hasm, a group which has claimed several attacks around Cairo, targeting judges and policemen since last year.

The suspected militants tried to flee after the exchange of fire there, the sources said, and continued to fire at a second security unit called in for backup from atop neighboring buildings.

The sources said the suspected militants also used explosive devices in the attack.

A number of suspected militants were also killed and security forces are continuing to comb the area, a statement by the Interior Ministry said.

Egypt accuses Hasm of being a militant wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, which was outlawed in 2013. The Muslim Brotherhood denies the claim and says it is committed to peaceful political activity.

An militant insurgency in the Sinai peninsula has grown since the military overthrew President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in mid-2013 following mass protests against his rule.

The militant group staging the insurgency pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in 2014. It is blamed for the killing of hundreds of soldiers and policemen and has started to target other areas, including Egypt's Christian Copts.