Egypt foils suicide attack

2007-02-21 17:05

Rafah - Egyptian police arrested a would-be Palestinian suicide bomber crossing from the Gaza Strip and planning to blow himself up among Israeli tourists in a south Sinai resort, said security sources on Wednesday.

The Palestinian was arrested late on Tuesday on the Egyptian side of the border town of Rafah after crossing through a tunnel, a local security official said on condition of anonymity.

Senior security sources in Cairo confirmed the arrest of the would-be bomber, who was carrying an explosives belt, and those of two Palestinian accomplices.

The security official in Rafah said the Palestinian militant admitted he was planning to carry out a suicide operation in one of the Sinai resorts popular with Israeli tourists.

He was not immediately named nor was there any indication of his belonging to a Palestinian militant organisation.

The would-be bomber was due to be met in Rafah by two other Palestinians - identified by security sources as Hisham Abul Walid and Imad Abul Qassem - who were to lead him to the targeted resort.

Acting on the information provided by the detained Palestinian, Egyptian police raided the flat rented in Rafah by his two accomplices and arrested them, said the source.

Tunnels used for smuggling goods

The latest major attack to hit the Sinai Peninsula was in April 2006, when several bombers struck the popular southern resort of Dahab, killing 19 people.

After a seven-year break, terrorist attacks returned to Egypt in 2004, when three bombs exploded in and around the Red Sea resort of Taba, killing at least 34 people.

At least 70 were killed in July 2005 when multiple blasts struck the popular resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

The bombings, as well as two smaller attacks targeting the Sinai-based multinational force and observers, were claimed by Tawhid wal Jihad (Unity and Holy War), a group claiming links to the al-Qaeda network.

Tunnels under the border between Egypt and the troubled Gaza Strip are often used for smuggling goods, people and weapons, despite frequent crackdowns by Egyptian police and border guards.

Security sources had reported earlier that a large cache of anti-tank mines and explosives apparently destined for the Gaza Strip was discovered on Wednesday in a mountainous area of Sinai.

- SAPA