Six criminals were killed in a shootout with police forces in Egypt's Nile Delta city of Sharqiya, the interior ministry said in a statement on Wednesday morning. 

"A security team was formed from the Public Security Sector, National Security Sector and Al-Sharqiya security directorate as part of intensifying security efforts to chase down the criminals implicated in the killing of First-Lieutenant Omar Yasser Abdel-Azim," the statement said.

Abdel-Azim was killed on Saturday while pursuing criminals who had stolen a private car. 

After conducting investigations, the ministry says, the security team was able to locate the fugitive criminals who were hiding in an abandoned poultry farm near Kafr Mohamed Gawish in Zagazig.

Once the security forces arrived at the hideout, the criminals opened fire, sparking a shootout that lasted for three hours.

The criminals had six explosives, seven firearms, a large amount of ammunition in addition to eight cell phones and a sum of EGP 40,000 in their possession. 

According to the statement, security forces are intensifying efforts to track down and arrest another fugitive criminal.