EL-ARISH, Egypt — An Egyptian security official says two policemen were wounded when members of a militant group opened fire at the police in the northern Sinai Peninsula. The official says the police on Monday went to the home of a militant explosives expert and leader of an al-Qaida inspired group, in an attempt to arrest him. The group is suspected of being behind a spate of recent attacks on Egyptian police and on a gas pipeline transporting fuel to Israel and Jordan. As the police approached the house in the town of el-Arish, suspected militants from inside the house opened fire. The leader escaped but his associate, two brothers and a sister were arrested. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with security regulations.
