Egypt thwarts Sinai terror attack

Egyptian security forces arrested five men as they prepared to launch a terror attack on tourist sites in Sinai during the Eid al-Ahda Muslim festival this past weekend, Egyptian media reported on Tuesday.

The terrorists were apprehended Friday near the Egyptian border with the Gaza Strip and were armed with weapons including RPG anti-tank rockets, Israel’s Channel 10 said, citing the London-based Arabic daily Al-Hayat.

Egyptian authorities commented that the incident “reopens the terrorist issue,” the report said. Following the 2010 revolution in Egypt, many terror operatives escaped from prison and security forces have recently begun hunting them down.

The foiled terror attack came after warnings last week of an expected attack on tourists or security personnel in Sinai. Terror groups have succeed in carjacking and stealing security vehicles in recent weeks, and authorities were concerned the vehicles could be used in a car bomb attack on soldiers, police, or checkpoints.

Egypt is engaged in a struggle to regain control of the Sinai Peninsula, where terror and militia groups are attempting to establish a power base. In August, terror cells killed 16 Egyptian troops near the Israel-Egypt-Gaza border, and smashed across the border into Israel before being killed by Israeli forces.