Egyptian Interior Minister Ahmed Gamal Eddin sacked the security chief in North Sinai on Sunday, a day after gunmen killed three police officers in the area, dpa reported.
Gamal Eddin announced the dismissal of Major General Ahmed Bakr during a meeting with police officers in North Sinai, the report said. He has been replaced by his deputy, Samih Ahmed.
The three officers were killed Saturday when their car was attacked in al-Arish, the main city of North Sinai, prompting their colleagues to briefly block a major road in protest.
In August, the army and police launched a major campaign against Islamist militants suspected of involvement in the killings of 16 border guards in the city of Rafah bordering the Gaza Strip.
Islamist radicals have been blamed for attacks on a pipeline that carries gas to Israel, as well as raids on police stations in Sinai, where security has deteriorated since the overthrow of president Hosny Mubarak more than a year ago.