2nd LD-Writethru: Egypt's police kill 6 terrorists on election eve

CAIRO, March 25 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian police killed six terrorists on Sunday during an anti-terror raid in Beheira province north of the capital Cairo, the Egyptian Interior Ministry said in a statement.

The anti-terror police raid came hours before Egypt's 2018 presidential election kicks off on Monday morning, in which incumbent President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi is expected to easily win a second four-year term.

The interior ministry said the terrorist cell in Beheira was involved in Saturday's car bomb attack in nearby coastal province of Alexandria that killed two policemen and wounded at least four others.

The statement pointed out that the six 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.

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

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 Brotherhood group.

The Sinai-based branch of the Islamic State (IS) regional terrorist group claimed responsibility for most of the terror operations in Egypt over the past few years.

The Egyptian security forces have killed hundreds of terrorists and arrested thousands of suspects during the country's anti-terror war declared by President Sisi, the army chief then, following Morsi's ouster. Enditem