Anonymous gunmen killed Brigadier General Mohamed Hani, an inspector for the Interior Ministry in North Sinai governorate, on Saturday afternoon, a statement for the ministry said.
Three gunmen in a four-wheel vehicle assailed the victim with a barrage of bullets from automatic machine guns, while he was inspecting checkpoints in Arish, the capital of Egypt's tumultuous North Sinai governorate.
Security forces have intensified their efforts to track down the perpetrators, the statement said.
A police captain was killed in an armed confrontation with outlaws in Arish earlier this month. Preliminary police reports said he may have been assassinated by jihadi gunmen operating in the lawless region.