FILE - In this file photo taken Friday, Dec. 20, 2013, supporters of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi hold his poster as they raise their hands with four fingers, which has become a symbol for Morsi supporters, during a protest in Cairo, Egypt. While last week's constitutional referendum approved the draft charter, the low turnout - less than 39 percent - has put on display the country's enduring divisions six months after the ouster of Morsi and nearly three years after autocrat Hosni Mubarak was overthrown. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
January 22, 2014 - 11:07 PM
CAIRO - Egyptian security officials say masked gunmen riding on a motorcycle have killed five policemen at a checkpoint in the country's south.
The officials say the attack took place early Thursday when the armed men opened fire on the checkpoint in the el-Wassta district in the southern province of Bani Suief.
Two policemen were also wounded in the attack. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to the media.
Egypt has seen a sharp rise in drive-by shootings and attacks targeting police and the military in the aftermath of the popularly-backed coup last July in which the army ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.
The most prominent attack was a failed assassination attempt on the interior minister in Cairo in September.
News from © The Associated Press, 2014