Egypt's interior ministry said on Thursday that police killed three members of the Lewaa El-Thawra terrorist group in a raid on an apartment in Beheira's Wadi El-Natroun, 100 kms from the capital.

The ministry says the three terrorists, identified as Yehia Abdel-Rahman, Mohamed Abdel-Hady and Mohamed Fathy, shot at police when they attempted to apprehend them.

Abdel-Rahman was convicted in absentia in a 2016 terrorism case and was handed a 10-year jail term, according to the statement.

The apartment where the terrorists were staying was used to hold meetings and manufacture explosives.

The ministry said that its raid foiled a plot by the terrorist group to carry out a number of attacks against police and army personnel.

The ministry added that nine members of the group were also arrested in a series of raids in Cairo, Giza, Beheira, and Kafr El-Sheikh.

The statement said that police conducted raids on a steel forge in Cairo's El-Salam City, as well as an apartment in Kafr El-Sheikh and a farm in Beheira, which were used by terrorists to make car bombs and IEDS.

Police found at the sites two car bombs, a large number of weapons, ammunition, IEDS, and cameras.

The statement added that the terrorists were instructed by Muslim Brotherhood leaders to carry out car bomb attacks.

In November 2016, Lewaa El-Thawra claimed responsibility for the October 2016 assassination of high-ranking Egyptian army officer Adel Rajaie. 

Throughout the past months, police announced in a series of statements that they conducted raids on terrorist hideouts, killing or arresting members of terrorist groups.