Egyptian security forces on Monday uncovered an explosives cache containing 100 kilograms of TNT hidden in sacks near the country's volatile border with the Gaza Strip, a police officer said. The cache, found buried a few feet deep in the soil in a deserted area of the northern Sinai peninsula, came after police acted on a tip from local Bedouins, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to media. The find took place near Sheik Zuwiyed town, some 25 kilometers west of the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. The Bedouins led the authorities to the location of the explosives. A total of three sacks of TNT were found, the official said.
Smuggling across the border into Gaza or Israel has long provided a livelihood for some Bedouin. Weapons, cigarettes and foreigners seeking jobs in Israel are all taken surreptitiously across the border.