Egypt's security authorities on Thursday arrested an Israeli Arab quadragenarian who was caught smuggling weapons through Egypt’s Taba border crossing with Israel.
A security source told Al-Masry Al-Youm that Moaz Zoheir was heading to Egypt through the border crossing when security agents grew suspicious of a wooden box he was carrying. Searching the box, the officers found an automatic gun, two pistol grips and 59 bullets hidden inside apertures that were covered with plaster.
The security source added that Zoheir told interrogators that he works for a tourism company in the Israeli city of Eilat, and that he was going to meet a friend named Hatem Abdel Hamid, a worker at another tourism company which promotes Egyptian-Israeli tourism and whom he said was waiting on the other side of the crossing.
A report of the arrest was filed and prosecutors investigated the suspect.
Arms smuggling has been on the rise since Egypt’s revolution began in January. Several arms caches have been discovered near the borders with Israel and many weapons have been confiscated at Libya’s borders.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
