Egypt foils smuggling attempt of 2 tons of explosives, weapons

Egyptian forces foiled a smuggling attempt that included two tons of explosives and weapons in the Sinai Peninsula Friday.

Police forces intercepted a truck that was carrying the objects, Ynet reported. An unnamed Egyptian senior security official told local media that the police were tipped off about the attempt and that the weapons were to be used by terror groups in Sinai or smuggled into the Gaza Strip.

Earlier Friday, Israeli undercover border guards foiled a different smuggling attempt that was heading to Israel from Egypt — of 250 kg of contraband hashish. The value of the drugs was estimated to be more than $272,000 (NIS 1 million).

The officers had noticed two suspicious people near the border fence, Israel Radio reported. The two suspects then attempted to escape via their vehicles, at which point a chase ensued. The officers caught one of the suspects, a Bedouin in his 20s.

Recent weeks have seen Egypt crack down more firmly on terror and smuggling activities in Sinai.

Earlier this week, Egyptian security forces pumped water into the smuggling tunnels leading into the Gaza Strip and intensified their patrols along the border in a bid to reduce smuggling activity.

Tunnel owners in Rafah told the Safa news agency that, over the past two weeks, Egyptian soldiers have set up checkpoints in Sinai, stopped incoming trucks, and confiscated merchandise.

Egyptian media reported that, so far this winter, security forces have intercepted five tons of explosives, rockets and other weapons, all of which were apparently destined to be smuggled into Gaza via cross-border tunnels.

Ron Friedman contributed to this report.