Update: Province of Sinai claims deadly North Sinai attacks

The Province of Sinai — a militant group formerly known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdes — has claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s deadly attacks on security forces in North Sinai, the privately owned newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm reported.

At least one civilian was killed when an explosive-laden car detonated in a security camp in Arish, Health Ministry spokesperson Hossam Abdel Ghaffar told Mada Masr on Tuesday morning. The bombing injured 30 policemen and two civilians, he said.

The Province of Sinai tweeted that its forces “targeted a security camp in Arish using a tanker loaded with dozens of tons of explosives, driven by a suicide bomber at 6:30 am.” The group also said it “targeted a Hammer vehicle south of Arish with an explosive device, leading to the demise of those riding it.”

Abdel Ghaffar confirmed that the second bombing killed one person and injured three others near the North Sinai city of Sheikh Zuwayed. The state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram had reported that the bombing killed one officer and injured three recruits, but Abdel Ghaffar was unable to confirm the victims’ identities to Mada. He did confirm that they were conducting a security operation when they were assaulted.

The first explosion occurred when an unidentified assailant rammed a truck packed with explosives into the gate of a police base in Arish.

“The suicide bomber drove into the gate of the police station with a car full of explosives. When the truck got closer the police began to shoot at it, which led to the explosion of the homemade bomb inside,” a security official told Al-Ahram.

An employee at a worker’s camp next to an area electronics company was killed in the bombing, Arish Ambulance Authority director Mahmoud Amer told Al-Masry Al-Youm. His body was reportedly transported to the Arish military hospital.

Interior Ministry sources declared they “succeeded” in thwarting the attack, despite the ensuing deaths and injuries, Al-Ahram said.

The sources stated that the truck aroused suspicion because it had recently been stolen from a Sheikh Zuwayed water facility. The driver had intended to break into the main building and cause much more extensive damage, but was impeded when the police opened fire, according to security sources. As a result, injuries were minor and largely incurred by the shattering of glass windows following the explosion. The sources did not acknowledge the civilian casualty.

The bombing follows a series of deadly attacks on security forces in North Sinai. On Monday, three people were killed and three others injured in an explosion targeting a security truck in Sheikh Zuwayed.

In February, two car bombs injured a police officer and a conscript near a Sheikh Zuwayed police station. Similar to Tuesday morning’s explosion, two small trucks had approached the police station in an attempt to take out the main gate. A military lookout at the police station shot at the first truck and an armored tank shot at the second. Both trucks exploded meters from the building.

In January, at least 29 people were killed and 46 others injured in a series of successive attacks targeting security facilities in Arish.

Province of Sinai forces have claimed responsibility for many of the attacks. The group changed its name from Ansar Beit al-Maqdes after pledging allegiance to the Islamic State in November.