Two police killed in Sinai raids

The massive hunt for suspected militants linked to several recent Sinai Peninsula resort bombings claimed the lives of two senior Egyptian police officers today when land mines, possibly planted by terrorists, exploded.

Major General Mahmoud Adel and Lieutenant Colonel Omar Abdel Moneim were the highest ranked police officers killed in Egypt since a violent Islamist insurgency in the mid-1990s and the first slain since about 4,000 security personnel launched a massive sweep on Sunday of the northern Sinai for suspects linked to July’s triple Sharm el-Sheikh attacks and October’s bombings at the Taba and nearby Ras Shitan resorts.

Today’s blasts occurred after two land mines exploded on Halal mountain, about 37 miles south of the Mediterranean coastal town of el-Arish, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

The statement did not say if the mines had been planted by suspected militants or left over from previous Arab-Israeli wars.

But at least two security officials said initial investigations indicated that fugitives hiding out on the mountain had concealed the mines.

The first mine exploded as a bulldozer was clearing a path in the mountain for two vehicles carrying Adel, Moneim and several other security personnel, said the officials. The second detonated after the officers got out of their vehicle to inspect the scene of the first blast.

The Interior Ministry said in its statement that another two officers were wounded, but the security officials added that the civilian bulldozer driver was also injured.

After the explosions, security forces found three pick up trucks loaded with drugs and weapons in the area and arrested five people taking shelter in the mountain, Officials are still trying to determine the identities of the five.

The killings were the first of Egyptian security officers on Sinai since a driver shot dead a policeman in May. It was unclear if that incident was linked to any terror attacks.

In February, another police officer was killed during clashes with suspected militants connected to the Taba and Ras Shitan bombings.

Police have been scouring northern Sinai’s deserts and jagged mountains and storming suspected militant strongholds for those behind the July 23 Sharm el-Sheikh bombings that killed at least 64 people and the October attacks. At least 650 people have been detained since Sunday.

A key suspect thought to be among those at large is Salem Khadr el-Shenoub, who is believed to have harboured militants linked to the Taba and Ras Shitan attacks.

El-Shenoub has allegedly booby-trapped caves and valleys on and around Halal Mountain, about 37 miles south of the Mediterranean coastal town of el-Arish.

Many of Sinai’s rugged mountains have been traditional safe havens for criminals and fugitives involved in smuggling, drug running and other illegal activities.

During the ongoing police hunt for suspected militants, the area’s native Bedouin tribesmen – with their knowledge of smuggling routes and hideouts – have emerged both as key to search efforts and as suspects themselves.

With several terror suspects hailing from northern and central Sinai, some believe the area may have become a breeding ground for extremists.

But Dia’a Rashwan, an expert on Islamic groups, said he had little faith in the theory that the criminals inhabiting these mountains were co-operating with militants as both groups had different ideologies and clashing interests.

Harbouring militants brings criminals unwanted attention, he said, but they might make exceptions if they have family ties with the militants.

Rashwan believed the criminal elements are putting up a strong resistance because they don’t want to be arrested on terror-related charges along with the suspected militants.

“They know they cannot compromise,” he said. “They either defend themselves or die.”