Egypt's police kill 3 terrorists in southern Cairo raid

CAIRO, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian police killed three terrorists in a raid on their hideout near a highway in Giza province in southern Cairo, the Interior Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

The statement said the three terrorists belonged to Hasm militant group which emerged late 2016 and is seen by the police as the armed wing of the currently outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.

Meanwhile, the police arrested 10 other members of the group in similar raids in Fayoum and Qalioubiya provinces in southern and northern Cairo, seizing weapons, ammunition and explosives in their possession.

Hasm has claimed responsibility for a number of terrorist attacks that killed several policemen in Egypt.

"They have been plotting to carry out a number of aggressive operations targeting tourist sites and vital facilities, as well as the armed forces and the police, in conjunction with the Christmas celebrations, to cause a state of instability and panic and give a negative image about conditions in the country," said the statement.

The raids came a day after a shootout near a church south of Cairo left at least 10 people dead, including one of the two perpetrators and a policeman. The attack was claimed by a Sinai-based group loyal to the regional Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.

Terror activities in Egypt have killed hundreds of security men and civilians since the military toppled Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule and his now-outlawed Brotherhood group.

The Egyptian security forces have killed hundreds of terrorists and arrested a large number of suspects during the country's anti-terror war declared by President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi. Enditem