Egyptian Policeman Slain by Gunmen

Suspected Muslim extremists shot and killed a high-ranking police officer and a woman in an attack Thursday in a public square in southern Egypt.

Two police officers and another civilian were wounded in the attack in Qena, 300 miles south of Cairo, authorities said.

Police Brigadier Mahmoud Deeb, head of investigations at Qena, died immediately, the Interior Ministry said. A female bystander, Nagiya Dessouki, died in a hospital, it said.

Qena is a tourist area rich in Pharaonic relics.

The slayings followed the death of a policeman in the south on Wednesday, marking an escalation in attacks by alleged militants.

The militants, who want to replace Egypt’s government with Islamic rule, have been locked in a bloody confrontation with authorities. More than 225 people have died in extremist attacks or in clashes with police in the past 22 months.