A police officer was killed and two others were injured when they attempted to arrest a "terrorist element" in southern Cairo, a statement from the Egyptian interior ministry said on Friday.

The officer who was killed was named as Lieutenant Ahmed Hussien Radwan; Lieutenants Ahmed Sobhi Zakariya and Ahmed Abdel-Fattah Abu Rayya were transferred to hospital.

All three were Central Security Forces officers. 

The ministry did not disclose the exact location or further details about the nature of the attack.

In recent months, Egyptian security forces have carried out several raids on apartments where suspected or fugitive Islamists militants were reportedly either hiding or preparing for “terrorist operations.” These raids have often ended with suspects killed by police, who say they were met with gunfire upon arrival at the hideouts.

Earlier in May, eight policemen were gunned down by unknown assailants in the capital's southern district of Helwan. Four individuals, who were waiting in a mini-van, opened fire on a police patrol, resulting in the deaths of all eight officers.