EGYPT UNCOVERS MISSILES SMUGGLING TO GAZA

Cairo, 22 Safar 1434/4 January 2013 (MINA) – The Egyptian Security Services announced that it managed to uncover, on Friday (4/1), a weapons storage facility loaded with advances missiles, including antitank and antiaircraft missiles, that weapons dealers intended to smuggle into the Gaza Strip via border tunnels.

The sources said that the Egyptian Ministry of Interior received information regarding smugglers in Sinai who were planning to smuggle the missiles into Gaza via the tunnels, to be used by armed resistance groups, and that the smugglers stored the missiles in a secret location in the Bir el-Lahfan area, south of Al-Arish, according to IMEMC report received by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA) Friday (4/1).

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The Egyptian Intelligence and the military carried out an extensive search campaign in the area, specifically in an Bir el-Lahfan, a stronghold for weapons smugglers, according to Egyptian sources.

The operation was carried out with the help of two undercover agents who managed to lead the Egyptian army to the location where six advanced American-made missiles were located, each missile has its own launching pad, in addition to locating a missile launching pad apparently smuggled from Libya.

Each of the missiles are antitank and antiaircraft which is 75 centimeters (cm) long (27.5 inches), 40 cm (15.7 inches) wide, and can hit targets as far as 2 kilometers (1.24 miles).

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Less than a month ago, the Egyptian security forces located a missile storage facility in the same area, and confiscated 17 French missiles that were ready to be smuggled into the Gaza Strip via the tunnels.

Egypt believes that there are several similar weapons storage facilities in the Bir el-Lahfan area; the facilities are believed to contain missiles and launching pads in the same area.

(T/R-010/R-006)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)