Egypt's Interior Ministry said Sunday that security forces have killed six militants believed to be involved in Saturday’s bombing in the city of Alexandria.
The militants are members of Hasm movement, the armed wing of the banned Muslim Brotherhood.
On Saturday, an explosive device placed under a car detonated as the convoy of Alexandria's security chief Mostafa el-Nimr passed through el-Moaskar el-Romany Street. He was not harmed in the blast that left two policemen dead.
Following the attack, Egyptian Minister of Interior Magdy Abdulghaffar announced that authorities had information about the persons responsible for the attack, saying appropriate measures will be taken to continue the investigation.
In its official statement, the interior ministry said the terrorists were killed at dawn Sunday following a shootout in a residential apartment in Beheira governorate, about 89 kilometers from Alexandria.
"The interior ministry has dealt an effective blow to the armed wing of the Muslim Brotherhood ... and exchanged fire with its elements, which led to the killing of six" militants, the statement said.
The ministry identified three of the terrorists wanted by the authorities in a 2017 Supreme State Security case linked to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood's "militant wing."
The ministry identified Hasm members as: Imam Fathi Imam Khuraibah, Mahmoud Mohamed Hassan Abdel Hamid Mabrouk, and Ahmad Magdi Ibrahim Mohamed Zahra, adding that four automatic rifles, four safes, a cartridge, ammunition, and six explosive devices were found during the raid.
The members of the cell were led by Brotherhood leader Bassem Gad, who is on the run in an Arab country. The interior ministry said Gad is responsible for ordering Saturday's attack on el-Nimr’s convoy.
According to National Security information, Gad purchased the car used in the incident on January 17, 2017. The car, a silver colored Mitsubishi Lancer bearing fake plate number 402076 Alexandria, was bought at a dealership in the city by a woman claiming to be Gad's wife.
The cell has also received orders from leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood abroad to target a number of prominent figures and vital facilities in Alexandria, Beheira and Kafr el-Sheikh, according to the interior ministry.
