CAIRO: Egyptian security forces arrested three people along the Egyptian-Libyan border on Wednesday attempting to smuggle guns and ammunition into the North African country, officials said. The three Egyptian citizens were attempting to pass a checkpoint when they were caught, a gunfight exploding between smugglers and police. According to local newspapers, the battle lasted three hours before the weapons were confiscated and the Egyptians were arrested. Security forces also Egypt's border with Libya have been attempting to crackdown on gun smuggling along the border, where weapons have been reportedly coming through in the post-Libyan revolution atmosphere. One Egyptian smuggler in Cairo, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Bikyamasr.com that since the fall of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak “Egyptians have been buying weapons more regularly and the best way to get weapons is from Libya.” The smuggler, who said he had personally crossed into Libya to pick up two shipments, added that only in recent weeks has the Egyptian government begun to “move faster in trying to shut down the guns coming into Egypt.” Egyptian officials are worried that as Libya's civil war ends, more and more weapons are in the hands of average citizens and could find their way into Egypt. Libya's ruling rebel National Transitional Council has pledged to gain control of the weapons. It is difficult to gauge how many weapons the rebels, often operating outside of a central command structure, have taken or whether they're the only forces looting Muammar Gaddafi's warehouses. Some reports indicate that many armories, particularly in the Tripoli area, remain unsecured. Those weapons are finding their way into Egypt, and smugglers like this one Egyptian said the market is ripe in Egypt for weapons to be purchased. “We have a lot of customers who want weapons because they fear the future of Egypt and want to be prepared,” the smuggler added. BM
