Two Muslim Brotherhood members were killed during a gunfight with security forces in the Nile Delta, north of Cairo, state news agency MENA reported on Friday.

The two men, along with others, attempted to torch a traffic checkpoint, and opened fire on police forces guarding a highway connecting the cities of Tanta and Al-Mahalla Al-Kubra in the northern governorate of Gharbiya, MENA said.

One assailant has been arrested while the others escaped, the reported added.

Egyptian authorities have officially designated the Brotherhood group of ousted president Mohamed Morsi a terrorist organisation, accusing it of links to Islamist militants.
The group denies any links to violence and insists its means of protest are all peaceful.

Attacks targeting police and army have spiked since the military ousted Morsi last summer amid massive nationwide protests against his rule. An ongoing crackdown on his Islamist supporters has left hundreds killed and thousands behind bars.

The government says nearly 500, mostly policemen and troops, have since been killed in shootings, bombings and suicide attacks.