An Egyptian police brigadier general was killed Wednesday by a bomb placed under his car in Cairo, security officials said.

An Egyptian police brigadier general was killed Wednesday by a bomb placed under his car in Cairo, security officials said.

The killing of Ahmed Zaki in the capital's western suburb of October 6 was the latest in a spate of attacks by militants targeting the security forces since the ouster of president Mohammad Mursi last July.

Zaki, killed in the fifth such attack targeting police in Cairo within a week, was a commander in Egypt's central security forces, who have been at the forefront of a wide-ranging crackdown on Mursi supporters.

He was the third police general to be killed in attacks since the start of the year.
Official figures show that about 500 people -- mostly police and soldiers -- have been killed in bombings and shooting attacks by extremist militants in Egypt since July.

Amnesty International says more than 1,400 people have been killed in the police crackdown on Mursi supporters.

More than 15,000 people mostly from Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood, have been jailed, while hundreds have been sentenced to death after often speedy trials.