Egypt: Half ton of explosives caught en route to Gaza
Egyptian police confiscate over 1,000 lbs of TNT explosives in northern Sinai desert. Officials say shipment likely intended for Gaza terror groups
Egyptian security forces uncovered 1,102 pounds of TNT explosives in the northern Sinai desert, a security official said Monday.
It is thought that Islamic militants had buried the explosives, but no militants were in the vicinity when the police, acting on a tip-off, uncovered the cache, said the official, who spoke on the customary condition of anonymity.
The explosives were found stashed in plastic bags and hidden in a warehouse near el-Rodha village, about 62 miles to the west of the Egypt-Gaza Strip border, the official said.
An investigation revealed that militants were allegedly stashing the explosives and waiting to smuggling them into the Gaza Strip.
There have been three major bomb attacks in Sinai since October 2004. The blasts in the resorts of Sharm el-Sheik, Taba and Dahab killed 125 people. The government blamed the attacks on a local Islamic militant group, which appears to have been inspired by al-Qaeda ideology.
