An Egyptian student killed a policeman before he was shot dead in an exchange of fire overnight at a state security headquarters in the Nile Delta region of Zagazig, said agencies and TV reports.
AFP quoted an interior ministry statement Saturday as saying the student was armed with a pistol and believed to be suffering from depression.
"It was an isolated act and not a terrorist one," the ministry said, in reference to the country's record of political violence.
However, witnesses told AFP that the student had a beard and an automatic weapon, suggesting he was an Islamic militant.
Al Jazeera satellite channel’s report also confirmed that the assailant had a machine gun. But it quoted officials as saying the student was “mentally disturbed.”
The witnesses told the agency that two other policemen were wounded in the incident, which occurred around 4:30am (0130 GMT) at the headquarters, which ensures security for surrounding Sharquiya governorate in the eastern delta.
The student, Hisham Mohammed, 22, opened fire on two policemen guarding the security headquarters, killing one of them, Ibrahim Abdel Hafiz, the ministry official told AFP.
The second policeman opened fire, killing the student, he added.
"This student is known for being depressive and he stole the pistol of his father to commit this crime," he added.
Witnesses said the gunman was killed by General Ahmed Nada, the deputy director of security for Sharquiya, who lives close to his headquarters and who left his home when he heard the gunfire.
Police then set up checkpoints to verify the identities of people leaving and entering the city of Zagazig, witnesses said.
However, AP reported that “gunmen” were involved in the bloody attack, citing an official as saying that those behind it "are believed to be terrorists," a government term for Muslim extremists.
Islamic extremists launched an insurrection against the government in 1992, which faded under the weight of a crackdown following the massacre of 58 tourists and four Egyptians in Luxor in November 1997 – Albawaba.com
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