A shootout between a police officer and armed men late on Tuesday resulted in the death of the officer and one of the attackers, an interior ministry statement read.

Officer Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed Haider was travelling home to Qalioubiya governorate after finishing his shift when armed men on the Shabeen-Qalioubiya road intercepted him.

A shootout ensued, according to an interior ministry statement published on their official Facebook page, causing the death of Haider along with one of the attackers.

The other assailants managed to run away from the scene.

Police are searching the area for the other attackers, the statement read.

Attacks against security personnel and installations have spiked since Mohamed Morsi's ouster last July.

An Al-Qaeda-inspired group, Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks in the restive Sinai Peninsula, Nile Delta and Cairo.

Authorities blame supporters of Morsi and their allies for the wave of violence.