A roadside bomb detonated in the proximity of the vehicle of Deputy Security Director of the North Sinai governorate Mostafa Al-Razaz in Al-Arish on Sunday, injuring three. An affiliate of "Islamic State" (IS) in Sinai, known as "State of Sinai", claimed responsibility for the attack. The attack left two security personnel and one civilian injured. The explosion occurred seconds after the security official's vehicle passed near the Swiss Inn hotel, which was the site of a "State of Sinai" attack that killed seven persons, including two judges overseeing the parliamentary elections in November. In a statement issued on its social media platforms, "State of Sinai" said the attack was in response to the imprisonment of female Muslims by the "apostate" Egyptian army. The group published video documentation that purportedly shows Sunday's attack on the North Sinai Deputy Security Director. Insurgents have intensified attacks in North Sinai since the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. The province has become the scene of frequent clashes between the extra-state militants and the Egyptian armed forces, which have launched an intensified counter-insurgency campaign. "State of Sinai", formerly known as Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, has claimed responsibility for many of the attacks against security forces in North Sinai, including the downing of the Russian passenger jet over Sinai on 31 October, which killed all 224 passengers and crew.
