Egyptian police kills top IS militant in Cairo

Egyptian police today killed a top Islamic State militant who was involved in many high profile terror attacks, including killing of foreigners and an assassination attempt of a Egyptian former foreign minister.
Ashraf Ali Ali Hasanin el-Gharabli, a leader in Ansar Beit el-Maqdes militant group (an IS affiliated group based in North Sinai) was killed in el-Marg district in Cairo after a fire exchange after the police tried to arrest him, an Interior ministry statement said.
The militant was involved in several terrorist attacks including an assassination attempt of the former interior minister Ahmed Ibrahim, killing a number of policemen and murder of a Croat and American nationals, the statement said.

El-Gharabli was also involved in the bombing of the Italian consulate in last July in Cairo. He was driving a car when the police attacked him in order to arrest him. He opened fire in an attempt to escape, it added.
Ansar Beit el-Maqdes, which changed it's name to Sinai Province last year after it pledged allegiance to Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility for many attacks that took place in Egypt which targeted mainly police and army personnel.
Egypt's North Sinai has witnessed many violent attacks by militants since the January, 2011 revolution that toppled the ex-president Hosni Mubarak.

The attacks targeting police and military increased after the ouster of Islamist ex-president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 by military following massive protests against his rule.
Over 600 security personnel have been reported killed since then. The military has launched security campaigns in the area, arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists, including those facilitating tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip.