Gunman kills eight at Egypt transport hub

A gunman has killed eight people and injured five others in Egypt’s southern Assiut province, before he was shot dead by security forces, authorities said.

The shooting took place on Monday in the Abanoub area, where the assailant opened fire from a car at a busy transport hub, Egypt’s interior ministry said.

Authorities said initial investigations showed the attacker had been receiving treatment at a psychiatric hospital in Cairo. No motive for the shooting was given.

Security forces were dispatched to the scene shortly after reports emerged of the attack. Officers identified a suspect, but he fled to nearby farmland.

Police said they then tracked him down and encircled the area. When the suspect realized security forces were closing in, an exchange of gunfire followed during which he was killed, the ministry said.

Videos shared on social media appeared to show ambulances arriving as crowds gathered nearby.

One clip showed a man, believed to be the attacker, standing beside an SUV, holding a rifle and wearing a traditional Egyptian galabiya.

Read more: Al Arabiya