“He sensed their presence and shot at them in an attempt to flee, requiring the police forces to exchange fire with him leading to his death,” the Egyptian Interior ministry said in a statement, cited by AFP.
The prominent terrorist figure belonged to the Ansar Bait al-Maqdis group, which re-branded itself as the Sinai Province of the Islamic State after pledging allegiance to the Syria and Iraq-based terrorist organization.
The jihadist was considered by the Egyptian authorities as one of the most dangerous criminals in the country. He is believed to have organized and personally led several high-profile attacks, including the assassination of Mohamed Al-Saied, a former interior minister, in 2013, and the bombing of the Italian consulate in the capital this summer.
Agencies
