At least nine policemen were killed and 13 others, including four civilians, wounded in an attack at a security checkpoint outside a police building in North Sinai city of al-Arish on Monday, a security source told Xinhua.

A suicide bomber detonated a stolen, explosive-laden garbage truck outside the building, the source added, adding that some floors of the structure have been destroyed in the blast.

The source pointed out that some militants have opened fire on the policemen before the explosion. One of the attackers' body has been found at the scene.

The wounded have been transferred to Arish Public Hospital.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing on Sunday, but an Islamic State-affiliated local group has claimed most of the attacks in Sinai in the past.

There have been frequent attacks on security personnel in Egypt after the ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Most of the attacks occurred in Sinai, but others have been crept into the capital Cairo and other cities.

On Dec. 9, six policemen were killed when bombs exploded at a security checkpoint in Cairo in a road leading to the Giza Pyramids.

source:xinhuanet.com