• 09:07
  • Thursday ,05 March 2015
العربية

Civilian shot dead, another kidnapped in North Sinai

By Aswat Masriya

Copts and Poliltical Islam

00:03

Thursday ,05 March 2015

Civilian shot dead, another kidnapped in North Sinai

A civilian's body was found near North Sinai's Sheikh Zuweid city on Tuesday, while another was kidnapped, security and tribal sources told Aswat Masriya.A civilian's body was found near North Sinai's Sheikh Zuweid city on Tuesday, while another was kidnapped, security and tribal sources told Aswat Masriya.

The civilian was shot by unknown assailants, sources said, adding that his body was marked by several gunshot wounds. The deceased was in his 50s. 
 
Another citizen was kidnapped from his home by armed men also near Sheikh Zuweid city, the sources said. 
 
Amid intensive militancy in the North Sinai governorate, its security director said today that there is a new plan to "control" matters and to "respond to any attempt that may target security headquarters and personnel in Sinai."  
 
Azazi Mohamed Azazi said there is a new plan to secure al-Arish city, the governorate's largest city. "A robot was used to foil 10 bombing attempts using improvised explosive devices," he said.
 
Azazi added that surveillance cameras are being installed across the city.
 
Militancy inside Egypt has seen a significant rise since July 2013, with most attacks being carried out in North Sinai. While attacks have largely targeted security forces, civilians have been increasingly caught up in the violence since the past summer. 
 
The Sinai-based militant group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis claimed responsibility for the beheadings of several people in August, accusing them of providing Israel with intelligence.   
 
Similar executions of civilians have been repeatedly occurring since then. 
 
Ansar is Egypt's most notorious militant group, having claimed more responsibility for attacks than any other group in the country. The group pledged allegiance to Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria last November, renaming itself as the "Sinai Province".
 
The Egyptian military said it killed a total of 173 people, whom it described as "terrorists", last month alone, in a campaign that involved helicopter strikes, raids and foiled suicide attempts in North Sinai's three major cities.