Egypt arrests 6 for assassination of prosecutor general

A view shows burnt cars at the site of a auto bomb attacked the convoy of Egyptian public prosecutor Hisham Barakat near his house at Heliopolis district in Cairo, June 29, 2015.

"There is a major conspiracy targeting the Egyptian state ..."

Local reports had said several days ago that a high-ranking delegation representing several Palestinian factions, including Hamas and the Islamic Jihad will head soon for talks in Cairo to meet with senior Egyptian officials. El-Sissi campaigned on a platform of security and promised to put an end to the insurgency that erupted in North Sinai.

The state news agency said six alleged Muslim Brotherhood members were arrested in connection with the attack. The Brotherhood, which is now outlawed as a terrorist group, denied any involvement.

The assassination, which has never been claimed by any group, came as a blow to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the former army chief who overthrew the Morsi administration and won elections in 2014 on a pledge to wipe out Islamist militants.

The Brotherhood, Egypt's main opposition movement for decades, was blacklisted as a "terrorist group" in December 2013.

Barakat's assassination cast doubt on Egypt's ability to contain the insurgency, which has seen hundreds of police and soldiers killed since Sisi took over. The current Egyptian government says insurgents have used tunnels between Hamas-ruled Gaza and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula to smuggle in arms.

He said Yehia Moussa, health ministry spokesman during Morsi's presidency, had planned the operation. "We are wondering about those countries that allow terror elements to organize and plan attacks in other countries", he added, referring to Turkey.

Hamas is the Palestinian branch of the Brotherhood, but has denied carrying out attacks outside Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Shortly after the attack, the government in Cairo voted for anti-terrorism laws that broadened the definition of terrorism, gave police greater powers of arrest and tightened restrictions on free speech. Egypt has jailed thousands of people, mainly Islamists, since Morsi's overthrow.

Police officer, suspect dead after North Texas park shootout
The other officer was Michael Williamson, who was killed by a drunken driver in 1982, according to the city website. Officer Guidon and her partner were also allegedly ambushed by the suspect, Army Staff Sergeant Ronald Hamilton.