CAIRO, Aug. 24 (Aswat Masriya) - Security forces killed an armed man on Wednesday after he allegedly attacked a policeman in front of the Virgin Mary Church in Eastern Cairo, the state-owned MENA news agency reported.

"The police forces assigned to secure the Virgin Mary Church in Nuzha, Masr el-Gedida were surprised to find someone trying to attack a policeman with edged weapons," an security source told MENA.

He added that the attack led to the policeman's injury and that the policeman has been taken to a hospital. Public prosecution will investigate the case.

The intentions behind the attack are still unclear. 

Bombings and shootings targeting security forces have surged since then-President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood was ousted by the military in July 2013, following mass protests against his rule.

Police brutality was one of the triggers of the Jan. 25, 2011 Uprising, sparked by protests on Police Day in Egypt aimed to draw attention to the police's use of excessive, often fatal, force.