Militant suspected of downing helicopter arrested in Sinai
An armed militant suspected of shooting down a military helicopter in Sinai last month, killing five soldiers, has been arrested, the Armed Forces announced in a statement published on the spokesperson’s Facebook page on Friday.
“Two extremely dangerous takfiri (extremist fundamentalist) elements” were arrested late on Thursday, the statement said.
The militants were apprehended after being injured in an exchange of gunfire with military forces in west Sheikh Zuwayed. The suspect implicated in the helicopter incident was shot in the thigh and right side, while another was shot in his right arm, according to the statement.
Both detainees were transferred to a hospital to receive treatment.
Last month, a military helicopter was shot down during a security operation targeting jihadi elements in north Sinai.
Ansar Beit al-Maqdes, a Sinai-based militant group, had claimed responsibility for the operation, saying they used a surface-to-air missile (SAM) to bring down the helicopter.
An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that two militants arrested in Sinai on Thursday evening were suspected of involvement in shooting down a military helicopter. The story has been corrected to reflect that only one of the two men arrested was implicated in the incident.
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