Egypt’s interior ministry says unknown gunmen have shot and killed a senior national security officer in Cairo as he headed to his office.

The statement from the ministry said gunmen opened fire on a car carrying Lt Col Mohammed Mabrouk of the national security agency, killing him on the spot late yesterday.

Mabrouk worked in the agency’s branch in charge of monitoring Islamist groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood.

Mabrouk is one of the most senior security officers to be targeted and killed in Cairo during the violence that has gripped Egypt since the ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in July.

A security official said Mabrouk was hit by seven bullets in his chest and head fired by gunmen whom witnesses described as masked. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to reporters.

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