Egyptian police have killed a man they say was the leader of an Islamist militant group blamed for several attacks on tourist towns last month.

Security officials said Tuesday that Nasser Khamis el-Mallahi was killed in a firefight near the North Sinai town of El-Arish. One accomplice was captured.

Police say el-Mallahi headed Tawhid wal Jihad, which has been blamed for a series of attacks against tourist resorts in the Sinai since 2004. The attacks have killed at least 117 people.

The most recent occurred last month in Dahab, when three near-simultaneous explosions killed at least 19 people. About 80 others were wounded in the blasts.