By Adham Youssef
A police officer was shot dead in Cairo Sunday during a police raid on “an alleged criminal cell with links to … kidnapping, theft, and, thuggery”, according to the interior ministry.
In a statement on their official page, the ministry said the raid came under heavy fire, during which police officer Ilhamy Abdel Monem was fatally wounded. The campaign had been tracking the cell to make the arrest, setting up the area to apprehend members, the statement added.
Last Monday, another police officer, Mostafa Mohsen, was killed in a Cairo shootout with supporters of former president Mohamed Morsi, according to state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper.
Targeting security personnel has become commonplace since Morsi’s ouster last July, leaving many casualties. Policemen and conscripts have been subjected to violence at checkpoints, police stations, and security departments.
