The Egyptian Interior Ministry said Thursday that six members of Hasam, a militant group linked to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, were killed in a shootout in Beheira province, northwest of Cairo.
The militants were involved in a bombing that targeted the convoy of Alexandria's former security chief in March, leaving seven people dead and injured.
A weapons cache was unearthed as security forces raided a hideout in Beheira, the Interior Ministry said.
It said a suspect was arrested in a residential apartment in Alexandria where arms and explosives were also seized.
A shootout in Assiut province, south of Cairo, left four other suspects dead, it said, adding that a Hasam member who had allegedly acquired the car used in the Alexandria attack was also arrested.
Meanwhile, the defense ministers of Egypt, Greece and Cyprus attended on Thursday the main phase of the ongoing joint air and naval military drill held in Egyptian territorial waters of the Mediterranean Sea.
Dubbed "Medusa 6," the joint exercise is "one of the largest" held in the Mediterranean due to the participation of Cyprus for the first time.
"Medusa 6" started on Monday and is expected to last for several days.
The three ministers held talks on the sidelines of the drill. Discussions focused on the developments in the region and ways to confront joint challenges, mainly terrorism, illegal migration and smuggling.
