Islam Times - Launching the security campaign in Arish today at dawn

Cairo (Islam Times) - Security sources said that the joint campaign between the security forces and armed police had started early Monday morning where the troops raided several areas east of El Arish while arresting a number of wanted suspects for the attack on a police station on the twenty-eighth of last month...

Islam Times: The source said: "The campaign was backed by armored vehicles and raided several areas in Masaeed, Safa, Mosanni and the central town of El Arish.

The source added that at least 5 persons of the suspects were arrested, and that they are being investigated to determine their relationship to the armed attacks on the Arish police station and the stations that export natural gas to Israel. The source did not disclose the nationality of the detainees.

A large number of machinery entered the city of northern Sinai on Friday and Saturday, especially armored vehicles, tanks, armored personnel carriers and military and police forces. Armed vehicles and tracked were deployed armored on the outskirts of the city of Arish and on the main road leading to the towns of Rafah and Sheikh Zuwaid.

Attacks escalated on the energy infrastructure since the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak in February, and the attacks were aimed mainly at gas pipeline in northern Sinai, which carry gas to Jordan also.

There have been five recent attacks recently on the points of export gas to Israel. The most recent was on July 30, and authorities blamed unidentified "terrorists" and "armed gangs".

In July, security sources said that about a hundred armed persons roamed in Arish on cars and motorcycles while waving flags with Islamic slogans. They attacked a police station and exchanged fire with troops from the army and police, and the attacks resulted in killing six people.

Sinai shares the border with the Palestinian Gaza Strip, which is ruled by the Islamic Hamas movement. It provided many of the elements required to hide in Mount Halal in Sinai’s central sector immediately after the arrival of support troops in such large numbers of equipment and machinery to El Arish on Friday and Saturday.