Two terrorists have been killed in a shootout with police in North Sinai, Egypt’s Ministry of Interior said in a statement on Tuesday.

The National Security Agency had received information about a group of terrorists located in a mountainous area in North Sinai where they had been planning to launch a series of attacks against police and Armed Forces checkpoints in the area.

The police located the two terrorists in a white pick-up truck while they were observing a security checkpoint in preparation for launching an attack. After realising they had been surrounded by security forces, the terrorists opened fire on police.

The statement added that two automatic weapons, two explosives belts, a pistol, ammunition and a walkie-talkie were found in the terrorists’ possession.