Senior Egyptian military official killed near Cairo

A senior Egyptian official was gunned down on Saturday outside his home in the suburbs of Cairo.

Brigadier General Adel Ragaei who heads an armored division in the Sinai was shot as he left his home in Obour City, his brother’s wife told AFP.

“They killed him at 6:00 am (0400 GMT) … before he could get into his car,” Houda Zein Elabedine said.

A military official confirmed to AFP the death of the general, without giving further details.

A little-known group calling itself Liwa al-Thawra claimed responsibility for the attack in a message posted on Twitter, claiming that a “group of fighters” had been shot dead in the head. The claim could not be independently verified.

The Islamist group apparently claimed responsibility for an attack in August against a police checkpoint and published photos of the shooting online.

Hundreds of police and Egyptian soldiers have been killed in recent years by jihadists, particularly in the Sinai Peninsula, but attacks against senior officials are rare.