By Nasser Al-Ezazy
Unidentified armed gunmen seized EGP 150, 000 (the equivalent of around US$25,000) from government employees travelling in a car in the Sinai Peninsula on Sunday afternoon.
A security source, who refused to give his name due to the sensitivity of his position said “masked gunmen attacked a vehicle belonging to the fisheries authority within 17 kilometres west of the city of Al-Arish and seized EGP 150 000 which was in the possession of the staff.”
The source added, “the government officials were on their way to buy fishing equipment and robbed at gunpoint.” He pointed out “the security services in Al-Arish have formed a team to search for the culprits.”
The incident comes a week after unknown gunmen hijacked an Egyptian military vehicle in Al-Arish.
The Egyptian military has launched an extensive anti-crime campaign in the Sinai after the killing of 16 Egyptian soldiers at an Egyptian army checkpoint near the Israel border on 5 August.
Additional reporting by Joel Gulhane
