Egypt arrests 2 Palestinians with bomb near Gaza border
Palestinian brothers arrested 2.5 miles from border with explosives, apparently en route to beach resorts south of el-Arish
Egyptian security forces arrested two Palestinians carrying a bomb Saturday who managed to slip through the border with the Gaza Strip and were trying to sneak further into the Sinai Peninsula, security and policy officials said.
Authorities arrested Hani Hamdan, 26, and his younger brother Rami, 21, in el-Massoura village, some 2.5 miles west of Egypt's border with Gaza, said a Sinai security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
A police official in Cairo confirmed the arrests, adding that the two were trying to reach the town of el-Arish, some 22 miles from the border, and move from there into southern Sinai where several beach resorts are located.
Israel issued a travel warning to its citizens last week, advising them not to visit Sinai, the vast desert peninsula between the Gaza border and Cairo, for fear of attacks.
On Friday Egyptian security forces announced they were looking for four Palestinians who slipped into the country from the Gaza Strip and were suspected of planning suicide attacks against resorts in the Sinai Peninsula. But it was unclear if the two men arrested Saturday were the same ones Egypt had been tracking.
The search followed the arrests of 15 Palestinians over the past few days who were caught carrying weapons and explosives in el-Arish.
Hamas cells were attempting to smuggle explosives
The Sinai intelligence official said Friday that 12 of those arrested were members of Hamas. The group consisted of two cells arrested separately as they attempted to sneak out of el-Arish carrying explosives and machine guns, the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
Egyptian officials have expressed concern that militants could attempt to sneak into the country ever since Hamas blew open the border wall with Gaza on Jan. 23. Israel issued a travel warning to its citizens last week, advising them not to visit Sinai, the vast desert peninsula between the Gaza border and Cairo, for fear of attacks by militants.
Egypt has attempted to reseal the border, but thousands of Palestinians have continued to pour into the country.
Also Saturday, Egyptian police captured a Palestinian man who was trying to smuggle a lion cub and a monkey into Gaza, where he planned to set up a small zoo to make money, said a second Sinai security official. The police confiscated the animals, which the man said he bought in Cairo, and sent them to a zoo in el-Arish before allowing the Palestinian to return to Gaza, added the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
