Cairo, Jan 28 (IANS): A police officer was shot dead and another injured by unidentified gunmen who attacked a church in the 6th of October City, west of Egypt's capital Cairo, state-run Ahram website reported Tuesday.

Initial investigations revealed four attackers in a car shot randomly at the policemen guarding the Virgin Church in 6th of October City, Xinhua reported citing Ahram.

The attackers attempted to flee the scene but local residents managed to catch one of them.

The incident came as part of a surge in attacks by Islamist hardliners against police and army officers following the ouster of president Mohamed Morsi in July.

Earlier Tuesday, two gunmen on a motorbike killed a senior Egyptian interior ministry official near his home on Haram street in Giza governorate, west of Cairo.

The incident coincides with the trial of Morsi over a jailbreak incident during the 2011 uprising that toppled former long time leader Hosni Mubarak.