Egyptian military: We've not closed off Sinai

Army spokesman denies media reports of sealed military zone, says security was briefly heightened after the killing of 3 policemen in El-Arish last week

The Egyptian military on Monday denied media reports that the Sinai Peninsula had been declared a closed military zone due to the deteriorating security situation.

Sky News Arabic reported on Sunday that the military had closed the peninsula, following Egyptian media reports of a hastily convened meeting between Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sissi.

The spokesman for the military denied the report. He said there was heightened security following the killing of three policemen in El-Arish last week, but that now things are back to normal.

Since the Egyptian Revolution of early 2011, security in the Sinai has dramatically worsened and incidents of terrorism have increased, leading to fears that the peninsula was becoming a base for militant activity.

In early August 2012, 16 Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai were killed by a well-organized militant group, who then used a stolen vehicle to break into Israel before they were neutralized by the IDF. This attack led the Egyptian government to dramatically step up security measures in the peninsula.