Unknown gunmen attacked a policeman’s car in Fayoum on Sunday, killing his four-year-old daughter and his friend, state media reported.
Major Sharif Sami, who was not injured in the attack, works in the Fayoum Security Directorate.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the officer was returning from a family wedding when the incident happened. The bodies were transferred to the morgue at Fayoum Hospital, while the prosecution is opening an investigation into the case.
Since the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, militants have frequently used drive-by shootings and bomb attacks to target primarily security personnel and facilities.
Ajnad Misr, one of the more prominent militant groups, mainly conducts operations in Greater Cairo, whilst “State of Sinai”, formerly known as Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, has launched attacks primarily in North Sinai.
Since Morsi’s ouster, some militant groups have claimed to “monitor” police personnel, by publishing videos and pictures of officers on duty, and have claimed responsibility for attacking police stations.
Fayoum is no exception. Several social media pages post personal information about police officers living in the city, and claim they have participated in dispersals, raids, or arresting female protests.
The most prominent assassination of a security official to take place after the revolution was in 2014, when General Mohamed Al-Saied, head of the Minister of Interior’s technical office, was shot and killed by unknown assailants.
Another incident was the assassination of Homeland Security’s Colonel Wael Tahoon, who was shot dead in his car last April by unknown assailants, in front of his house in the Cairo district of Ain Shams.
