Egyptian security forces and police raised the state of alert to the highest level in the al-Arish and other districts in northern Sinai, following intelligence reports that Islamic Jihad was planning to carry out terrorist attacks in the area, media reports have stated. A short time after the warning, an explosion of the Egypt pipeline in Sinai that carries gas to Israel and Jordan was reported.
Sources believe that more than 2,500 terrorists are active in the area, whose intention is to carry out terrorist acts against Egyptian police and security forces. This is in "retaliation of the recent arrest of six Islamic Jihad activists in Sinai, and preventing the attack they had planned to carry out."
Egyptian security sources said that according to intelligence reports, the terrorists are planning, "to take advantage of Tahrir Square demonstrations on Friday to carry out large-scale attacks against Egyptian security forces. If the need arises, military helicopters will intervene in one of the northern Sinai areas."
Two days ago, two Egyptian policeman were killed on the Israel-Egypt border by drug smugglers, in two incidents. An "Egoz" Golani unit operating in the area, identified a suspicious group of armed men who had apparently infiltrated across the border in order to smuggle drugs. The IDF spokesman said that IDF forces began the procedure for apprehending suspicious individuals, and when the latter did not comply, IDF forces opened fire. IDF forces hit one of the subjects.
The suspects returned fire. Following the incident, a Kalashnikov rifle, a gun, and cutting tools were found at the location. There were no casualties among IDF forces, and no damage was reported.
Ampal-American Israel Corporation's (Nasdaq: AMPL; TASE:AMPL) share price was unchanged on Nasdaq on Friday at $0.38, giving a market cap of $21 million, and rose in morning trading on the TASE to NIS 1.38.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on November 27, 2011
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