Last update - 00:00 10/12/2007
Egypt uncovers 500 kilograms of explosives in northern Sinai
By The Associated Press
Egyptian security forces have found 500 kilograms of TNT explosives in the northern Sinai desert believed to be destined for the Gaza Strip, a security official said Monday.
"It is thought that Islamic militants 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 100 kilometers to the west of the Egypt-Gaza Strip border, the official said.
Egyptian investigators believe that Islamist militants were stashing the explosives, which they planned to smuggle 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 Egyptian government blamed the attacks on a local Islamic militant group, which appears to have been inspired by Al-Qaida ideology.
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