Egypt says 6 Muslim Brotherhood killed in Cairo shootout

Egypt says security forces have killed six suspected members of the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood in a shootout in the capital, Cairo.

The Interior Ministry says in a brief statement Tuesday the six were killed in a firefight when police raided their hideout in Cairo’s Sixth of October suburb.

The ministry, which oversees police, says the dead were planning militant attacks. The statement did not say when the raids took place, or whether police forces were wounded in the clashes with the militants.

Egypt branded the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization in 2013 and arrested thousands of its members.

The news came days after rare anti-government demonstrations in several Egyptian cities over the weekend. Hundreds were arrested.

Egypt has long battled militants led by an Islamic State affiliate in Sinai Peninsula.