Egypt detains nine over smuggling, arms trade

Thu Apr 16, 2009 9:01am EDT

ISMAILIA, Egypt, April 16 (Reuters) - Egyptian security forces have detained nine bedouin in the Sinai peninsula on suspicion of involvement in cross-border smuggling and of arms dealing, security sources said on Thursday.

Egypt has stepped up security measures against smugglers after prosecutors accused Lebanese group Hezbollah of planning attacks in Egypt through a group of 49 men. Egypt is a key U.S. ally in the Middle East and has suffered a series of militant attacks on tourist targets in recent years.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has denied his group had planned attacks in Egypt, but confirmed that Egyptian authorities had arrested a Hezbollah member working to supply military equipment to the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, helped by up to 10 others.

Security sources said the bedouin detained late on Wednesday had been suspected of involvement in people and goods smuggling across the border into Israel, and of trading in weapons. But they were not accused of any involvement with Hezbollah.

Bedouin tribesmen in the same area of Nekhil in central Sinai, angry over recent raids following the Egyptian prosecution's announcement of the Hezbollah probe, had exchanged fire with police on Tuesday, but no one was wounded.

Egypt says it is trying to staunch an active smuggling trade from Sinai to both Israel and the Gaza Strip. Smugglers send weapons and goods via tunnels to Hamas-run Gaza to circumvent an Israeli-led blockade. They also send goods and people, mainly African migrants, across the border into the Jewish state. (Reporting by Yusri Mohamed; Writing by Cynthia Johnston; editing by Elizabeth Piper)



Comments (0)
This discussion is now closed. We welcome comments on our articles for a limited period after their publication.