CAIRO, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian security forces killed on Friday a leading member of Hasem, a group affiliated to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, the interior ministry said in a statement.

The figure was killed in an exchange of gunfire with the police, who raided the group's hideout in southwestern Cairo upon intelligence that senior group members were planning a meeting there, said the statement.

Wanted by Egyptian authorities, the Hasem leader, whose identity was not disclosed, was among the most prominent leaders of the militant group, it added.

Hasem has claimed responsibility for several attacks in Egypt against security personnel, including a roadside bomb attack last Sunday that killed a policeman.

The interior ministry said the group is part of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood movement led by Mohamed Morsi, the former president toppled by the army in 2013 in response to mass protests.

Egypt has also been battling a wave of terrorist attacks centered mainly in North Sinai since the 2013 uprising.

However, terror attacks have recently spread to Cairo, the capital, and other cities, mostly claimed by an Islamic State affiliate in Sinai Peninsula. Enditem

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