A suspected individual was arrested on Sunday over charges of supporting terrorist groups, the Egyptian army said in a statement adding that a vehicle was seized for carrying huge amounts of materials used in the manufacture of improvised explosive devices.
Egypt’s Military Spokesman Tamer Rifai said, in the statement, that five persons were also detained while they were watching army forces, pointing out that the army seized during security campaigns five vehicles with large quantities of narcotics, motorcycle parts and some materials used in manufacturing explosive devices.
Law enforcement forces of the Third Field Army continued efforts to raid terrorist hotbeds in Central Sinai, the spokesman added.
The Egyptian army along with the police have launched a large security campaign in Sinai since 2015, under the title "The Martyr's Right".
Elements from the Second and the Third Field Army have been carrying out the campaign, supported by elements from the Thunderbolt and the Rapid Intervention Forces (RPD), in order to eliminate the armed organizations spreading there.
The most prominent of these organizations is Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, which pledged allegiance to ISIS in November 2014 and changed its name to Wilayat Sinai. It used to target army and police personnel in operations, which killed dozens from both sides.
Meanwhile, Egypt’s Defense Minister Sidqi Sobhy and his accompanying high-profile delegation left Cairo Sunday morning heading to India, in an official visit at an invitation from his Indian counterpart.
During the visit, Sobhy is expected to hold several important meetings on the field of military and security cooperation and discuss efforts between the armed forces of both countries in many fields.
On the other hand, Egypt’s Armed Forces celebrated the 103rd anniversary of the First World War on Sunday.
The ceremony started with a speech by Chief of the Military Research Authority Major General Reda Fad, who reviewed the Authority’s efforts in documenting Egyptian military history as well as the army’s accomplishments in the First World War.
Later, the ceremony’s organizers displayed a documentary about the participation of 1000 Egyptian soldiers among the Allies on the European front as well as others in Asia and Africa.
The documentary presented the participating soldiers, who were buried in Commonwealth cemeteries as well as those who obtained the Victoria Medal.
An exhibition of photographs and confidential documents regarding the Egyptian army’s participation in the war, which took place between 1914 and 1918, was held on the sidelines of the ceremony.
