ARISH, Egypt: Today's organized army and police raids on extremists in el-Arish, Sinai resulted in ten arrests, reported Director of Security of North Sinai Maj. Gen. Saleh el-Masry. The extremists are charged in connection with the clashes that took place in Arish, he added. “The raid was implemented in coordination with different forces and supervised by First Assistant Minister of the Interior for Public Security and Special Forces Maj. Gen. Ahmed Gamal,” he added. The raid was executed in a farm region in east Arish. Forces arrested 25 suspects, Egyptian and Palestinian, during the two days of operations. Security directorates will continue to investigate the detained extremists. One suspected extremist, 36-year-old engineer Salem Mohamed from Suez, was killed in the clashes. Omar Mohamed El Malah, a 25-year-old from Alexandria, was shot in the foot. Yasser Gormy Attiya, a 23-year-old Palestinian member of the Gazan el-Gehad Islamic Movement from Khan Yunis, confessed to sneaking from Gaza to Egypt through tunnels. Attiya was arrested previously, but escaped prison during Egypt's January 25 Revolution. Apparently Attiya hid out in a house and participated in the Arish attack. Investigations revealed that Attiya joined an Islamic group to fight Israel. He went to Arish to meet other jihadists and received training in martial arts both there and in Gaza. Attiya also confessed to participating in the attack on the Arish police station, claiming he helped prepare both bombs and weapons. Omar Mohamed el-Malah confessed that his extremist religious tendencies came from exposure to other jihadists and Salafists. He also told investigators that he met with other extremists who strategized about targets like gas stations. El-Malah was arrested last year and transferred to Abu Zaabal prison, from which he escaped. Hosan Abdel Rady Hassan, a 23-year-old from Sohag, confessed to violent participation against Egyptian security forces in North Sinai. Mohamed Gomaa Salah from Qalyubia confessed to participating in gunfights with automatic weapons in the attack on the Arish police station. Salah also confessed to supplying arms to his fellow extremists.
