Egypt police find huge weapons cache in Sinai

0 Comments | AFP, September, 2008

CAIRO (AFP) — Egyptian police on Monday found a large cache of weapons in the Sinai desert during a routine patrol of the area, a security official said.

Police found "171 mortar shells, anti-tank and anti-personnel grenades, 29 shells, 212 anti-tank projectiles as well as a number of detonators," the official told AFP.

Weapons and explosives found in Sinai are generally believed to be destined for the neighbouring Hamas-run Gaza Strip.

Last week, Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak hailed Egyptian efforts to stem the flow of weapons into Gaza, saying they had been "visibly effective" but that more effort was still needed.

Israel and the United States have repeatedly accused Cairo of not doing enough about the problem of underground tunnels linking...