AL-ARISH: Egyptian police on Tuesday seized roughly two tons of explosives near the border with the Gaza Strip that were reportedly destined to be smuggled to Palestinian militants, a security official said.
Police discovered the TNT, packed in 25 plastic bags, in an underground cache near the Sarsuria border region in the Sinai Peninsula, the official said.
It was on its way to Gaza, the official said, adding that no smugglers were arrested.
Police uncovered 700 kilograms (1,540 pounds) of TNT near the border on Sunday, he added.
Palestinians use a network of tunnels linking Egypt with the Islamist Hamas-ruled enclave to smuggle food and other essential goods, as well as weapons, to evade the crippling blockade imposed by Israel after Hamas took over the territory in June 2007.
Egypt and Israel, which fought a devastating war with Hamas over the New Year, have taken robust steps to destroy the tunnels, with Israel repeatedly bombing them during and after the war. -AFP
