Seven suspected criminals killed during firefights with Egyptian police

Egyptian police killed at least seven suspected criminals in separate firefights in the southern province of Aswan, the Interior Ministry said Wednesday.

The ministry, which oversees the police, said the shootouts took place in the city of Edfu on the west bank of the Nile River.

The suspects opened fire on police forces as they were attempting to arrest them. A police officer was wounded, it said, without elaborating when the shootouts took place.

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Four of the suspects, who were killed in one of the firefights, were wanted over an array of charges that include attempted killing, drug trafficking and illegal possession of arms, the ministry added.

The remaining three suspects were killed in a second shootout as police raided their hideout allegedly used for drug trafficking, it said.