AL-ARISH: Egyptian border guards shot dead an African man attempting to cross the border to Israel, security and medical officials said Saturday.
The native of the Ivory Coast was trying to cross into Israel with two companions when he was discovered by police and ordered to stop. They opened fire when he refused to comply, said the security official.
The bullet nicked an artery in his leg and the man bled to death, he added on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
The other two men, a Sudanese and a Guinean, were arrested and taken into custody.
Dr Imad Kharboush of the nearby Al-Arish hospital emergency unit confirmed the bullet hit the man’s femoral artery and he bled out in a matter of minutes.
Last year, an Eritrean woman and man as well as two Sudanese men were shot dead trying to sneak into Israel in a series of separate incidents.
Israel estimates that 2,800 people have entered the country illegally across the desert border in recent years searching for jobs, most from Africa, and has asked Egypt to work harder to stem the tide.
