CAIRO, July 25 (Xinhua) -- An Egyptian police officer was shot dead in restive North Sinai province by unknown militants Sunday night, the Ministry of Interior said on Monday.
According to an interior ministry statement, a deputy sheriff was targeted by an unknown attacker near a police station in al-Arish city, the provincial capital of North Sinai.
Security forces cordoned the scene and started search operations, the statement said.
Anti-government attacks have notably increased in Sinai and other parts of Egypt, including the capital Cairo, since the army overthrew Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 and later blacklisted his Muslim Brotherhood group.
Hundreds of police and soldiers were killed and many more wounded in such attacks, most of which were believed to have been carried by the Sinai-based "Sinai State," an offshoot of the Islamic State (IS) militant group.
