Egyptian security sources said Saturday two police personnel were shot dead in separate terrorist attacks in Al-Arish, North Sinai, Al-Bawaba News reported. Rafik Ezzat, a police officer aged 40, was in front of a school where his wife was working, when anonymous gunmen shot him in the head, the sources said. Later on Saturday, takfiri elements shot Mohamed Abdulhafiz, a police sergeant, in the chest. The victim was carried to Al-Arish Hospital where he succumbed to his wounds, the sources added. The Sinai Peninsula has witnessed a string of deadly attacks against security personnel and civilians since former president Mohamed Morsi was ousted July 2013 amid mass street protests. Over the past two years, over 500 security personnel, mostly conscripts on duty, were killed by mortar attacks, car bombings and drive-by shootings. The Islamic State (IS)-linked Wilayat Sinai terrorist group has repeatedly claimed responsibility for the attacks.
