Five men suspected of involvement in the Sinai bombings surrender to the police, reports Jailan Halawi As security forces tighten their grip on the rugged mountains around Al-Arish in northern Sinai, five men wanted in connection with the Dahab bombings turned themselves in on Friday. Police sources say the five are currently being interrogated. The men are believed to be linked to Al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad (Unification and Holy War), the group accused of being behind the spate of attacks that have targeted Red Sea resorts, beginning in October 2004 with the triple bombing in Taba that killed 34, followed by three blasts in Sharm El-Sheikh in July 2005 that killed 65 and last month's triple bombing in Dahab that left 19 people dead. On 26 April, two days after the Dahab attack, two suicide bombers targeted a Multinational Forces and Observer (MFO) base in northern Sinai. Al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad, accused of masterminding 11 attacks in Sinai over the past two years, is described by police as a group of Sinai Bedouin with militant Islamist views. The group has not claimed responsibility for any of the attacks. Friday's surrender came days after police shot dead Nasser Khamis El-Mallahi, the alleged leader of the group, and captured Mohamed Abdallah Elian, his second-in-command, during a shoot-out on 9 May in Gabal Al-Arish in northern Sinai. El-Mallahi is believed to have taken over leadership of the group after Khaled Mosaad was killed by police last year. His death brings to seven the number of wanted men killed in confrontations in northern Sinai. The five men who surrendered this week appear on a list of 25 names provided under interrogation by Elian. The men, who were hiding in the caves and dunes of the mountainous northern region, reportedly surrendered after a siege lasting several days. No additional details have been provided. According to human rights reports based on the testimonies of the families of suspects following the Taba bombings, police tortured both suspects and their families to gain information and force fugitives to surrender, leading to suggestions that the same tactics have been employed on the Dahab suspects forcing their surrender. The aftermath of the Taba detentions witnessed a spate of demonstrations that broke out in Al-Arish city, with families of the detainees marching through the streets recounting incidents of torture. It was claimed, by human rights groups and families of the detainees, that more than 5,000 Bedouins had been detained, a figure that the Ministry of Interior had repeatedly described as "highly exagerated" while refuting the torture claims as well. Currently, 15 members of Al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad are facing trial before a state security court in Ismailia in relation to the Taba bombings. Hearings will resume later this month. When Sharm El-Sheikh was attacked nine months after Taba many commentators criticised the mass detentions as a possible motive for the attack. The Ministry of Interior denied the claims, describing them as "void of substance". In the wake of the Dahab bombings security forces have been keen to stress that they are working closely with the Bedouin population of Sinai to bring the perpetrators to justice. The Bedouin know the labyrinth of tracks that criss-cross the peninsula's rugged terrain and their cooperation is seen by many observers as an attempt to distance themselves from the stigma of terrorism. Analysts also believe the alliance is an attempt by the police to refute earlier accusations that they had randomly arrested and tortured Bedouins. While police continue the search for new leads and suspects not on the list of 25, the shoot-outs are likely to continue with fatalities on both sides. On 1 May Major Abdel-Khaleq Nabil Abu Zeid was killed in clashes in the Maghara Mountain area outside Al-Arish; two policemen were also wounded, one critically.
