Bedouin killed in clashes
2009-11-20 14:41
Cairo - Egyptian police shot and killed a Bedouin in north Sinai on Friday after the arrest of fellow tribesmen prompted clashes, a security official said.
"Ubaidallah Zeidan was killed by a police bullet during clashes between police and Bedouin," the official said.
Police officers had arrested a number of Bedouins wanted for criminal acts in a dawn raid in the town of Baluza, 50 kilometres (31 miles) from the Suez Canal.
After the arrests, a number of Bedouins surrounded the arresting policemen and gunshots were fired, sparking clashes that lasted for several hours, the official said.
Bedouin sources said a Bedouin man and woman were also injured during the clashes, but Egyptian police have denied the reports.
Police have cordoned off the town of Baluza, the security official said.
Hundreds of Bedouins in trucks have blocked off a main road in Sinai and have threatened to block the bridge that crosses the Suez Canal, linking the Sinai peninsula to mainland Egypt, the official said.
Bedouin have repeatedly clashed with police in the region, accusing police of discrimination, harassment and unlawful arrests.
Relations between the two sides have been tense and were marked by several confrontations last year after Bedouins briefly kidnapped more than 70 policemen in retaliation for the killing of four tribesmen in November.
- SAPA