Gunmen kill 5 Egyptian policemen

Five Egyptian policemen were killed today when masked gunmen riding motorcycles opened fire on them at a checkpoint in the country's south.
Two policemen were also injured in the attack in Beni Suef province, some 100km from the capital.
"Masked gunmen on two motorcycles opened fire heavily on the forces at the checkpoint," Al-Ahram Online reported quoting a statement issued by the Interior Ministry here.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for today's attack.
Egyptian forces have stepped up crackdown on Islamists whose attacks on the army and police rose dramatically following the ouster of president Mohamed Morsi last July.

The authorities have carried out a sustained crackdown on Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, which was recently designated a terrorist organisation.
Last week, the Egyptian forces killed Ahmed Hamdan Harb Malki alias Abu Mariam, the top militant commander of al-Qaeda linked Al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad group.