Two members of the Hasm and Lewaa El-Thawra militant groups have been killed in a shootout during a police raid in Beheira governorate, while five others were arrested in another police raid in Alexandria, Egypt's interior ministry announced on Saturday evening. In an official statement, the ministry said that it raided several hideouts belonging to the terror groups in the three governorates of Alexandria, Menoufiya and Beheira, resulting in several deaths and arrests. The hideouts were used to train group members in the use of weapons and the manufacture of explosive devices, and for the storage of weapons and materials used in manufacturing operations, the ministry said. The statement referred to several attacks planned by the groups, including one foiled operation to plant of a bomb beside Raml police station in Alexandria on 17 March. The militants also planned to assassinate a number of police personnel, conducting one successful assassination in Beheira, said the ministry. The two militant groups, Hasm and Lewaa El-Tharwa, are officially designated as a terrorist group, having claimed responsibility for a number of deadly attacks on security forces and planned assassinations of public figures over the past year. Earlier on Saturday, MENA news agency reported on the police raids, saying that two militants were killed in a shootout with security forces at a farm in Beheira governorate, following a tip-off to police that the premises were being used to manufacture explosives. According to MENA, the militants fired at security personnel when they detected them on the property, prompting the security personnel to return fire. MENA also reported on the five people arrested for alleged terrorist attacks in the coastal city of Alexandria, citing the interior ministry statement. The statement said that automatic weapons and ammunition were found in the hideouts, along with components used for manufacturing explosive devices and reports on planned targets. Militants have conducted deadly attacks against security personnel in Cairo and other governorates in recent years.
