Islamic State-affiliated terrorists have claimed responsibility for killing eight plain-clothed Egyptian police officers in an attack just outside Cairo, in Helwan, Egypt.
The gunmen pulled up to the policemen’s van in a small pickup truck, got out, and proceeded to open fire on the police vehicle before fleeing the scene, Egypt’s state-run MENA news agency reported.
It is the deadliest attack in Cairo since November when four police officers were gunned down by IS fighters at a security checkpoint.
In a statement posted online, the IS affiliate claimed responsibility for killing the police officers early Sunday, saying it was payback for “women imprisoned” in Egypt. The IS statement also said the IS members were able to steal weapons from the police car before fleeing the scene unharmed. That account of the deadly incident has not been verified.
Magdy Abdel-Ghaffar, Egypt’s interior minister, called the slain police officers “martyrs who sacrificed their lives to preserve the security of the homeland and the people.” The minister called for a full investigation into the attack.
