Islamic State says it hit Egyptian boat

Islamic State militants have reportedly claimed the attack on an Egyptian military boat off the Sinai coast.

A series of pictures released by the group appear to show a missile hitting the boat before it goes up in flames.

https://twitter.com/ErshadAlijani/status/621667239209664512

An AFP photographer and a witness in the Gaza Strip said the boat was struck at least three kilometers from shore.

“We were sitting on the beach and suddenly there was an explosion,” said Ahmed Nofal.

Other navy boats came to rescue the crew as their vessel spewed a plume of smoke.

A military spokesman says there were no casualties in the attack. Security officials said an unspecified number of crew members suffered injuries from the fire.

The Islamic State Sinai Province, a local Islamist group formerly known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis has claimed scores of attacks in the Sinai in the past, including a coordinated raid on several police outposts in northern Sinai earlier this month that left dozens dead.

— With AFP and AP