Attackers target Egypt gas pipeline

Attackers set off explosives today along a gas pipeline in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula that transports fuel to neighbouring Israel and Jordan, state news agency Mena reported.

It is the seventh attack on the pipeline since the popular uprising that ousted long-time Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak in February.

Unidentified assailants placed explosive charges in two separate places on the line that transports natural gas near the north Sinai town of el-Arish, Mena said, causing blasts and huge fires.

The explosions forced a shutdown and halted exports to Jordan and Israel.

But later, a Sinai security official said there was only one explosion on the pipeline. He said the attackers blew a hole in an underground part of the pipeline, causing less damage than in past attacks, which mostly targeted pumping stations.

The official said no one saw the attackers, though police were due to search the site for clues.

Previous bombings have been blamed on al Qaida-inspired militants who have stepped up activity in the Sinai, taking advantage of a security vacuum caused by scant police forces in the post-Mubarak era.

Gas exports through the pipeline resumed about a month ago after damage from previous bombings was repaired.