Egyptian police say they have killed a top Islamic State operative wanted for his involvement in a string of attacks in the country.
Egypt's Interior Ministry says security forces shot and killed Ashraf Ali El-Gharably after he opened fire and tried to escape during an attempt to arrest him in the capital, Cairo.
A ministry statement said Gharably was a leader of the militant Ansar Beit al-Maqdis group west of the Sinai. The group pledged allegiance to IS last year.
Gharably was one of the most sought-after militants in Egypt. A police official told the French news agency AFP he had been a top assistant to an Islamic militant believed to have led a series of bombings in Cairo for Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, before taking a more leading role in the group.
