A police officer was abducted Friday while he was on duty as a guard of the Firan Valley post office in South Sinai.
The police officer was abducted by a “criminal fugitive” on the run since a prison break during the 2011 revolution, said a Ministry of Interior press office representative. The fugitive was allegedly involved in a number of crimes, including kidnapping, armed robberies, and murder.
Security forces were able to find the abducted police officer hours after his abduction and he was not harmed, according to the press office.
The abduction came in response to a operation carried out by the South Sinai Directorate. During the operation, police were able to retrieve stolen electrical devices and hijacked cars, according to state run newspaper Al-Ahram.
South Sinai has been spared much of the turmoil affecting the northern part of the peninsula. The last major incident took place in February, when a suicide bomber from the militant group Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis targeted a tour bus in Taba, killing three South Korean tourists and the Egyptian driver.
