Egypt police kill 4 in shootout near Cairo

By Omar Thabet

CAIRO (AA) - Egyptian police killed four people in a shootout on Friday for allegedly planning an attack, according to the country’s interior ministry.

The ministry said the four opened fire on security forces, who approached them as they were meeting in Kerdasa town in Giza, west of capital Cairo, “to plan a hostile operation”.

Security forces traded fire, killing the four, the ministry added in a statement.

The ministry identified one of them as Sameh Mohamed Farahat, a leader of Takfiri group.

Egyptian authorities have launched a relentless crackdown on dissent since the military deposed Mohamed Morsi, the country’s first freely elected president, in a 2013 coup.

Since Morsi’s overthrow, the military-backed authorities killed hundreds and jailed thousands for “inciting violence”.