Unidentified gunmen seized a vehicle belonging to the Egyptian army in Arish, North Sinai, a security source told the state-run news agency MENA Sunday evening.
The source told the news agency that a group of gunmen in an SUV without license plates stopped the army vehicle in Gisr al-Wadi district of Arish. After removing the passengers, they took the vehicle to an unknown desert area.
Authorities coordinated with tribal figures from Sinai to identify the attackers, according to the source. Negotiations regarding their demands are ongoing.
The source refused to reveal their demands or the possibility of responding to them.
There has been no official statement by the army on the incident.
Military and security forces are launching an extensive campaign to reassert state authority in the peninsula after 16 Egyptian soldiers were killed in an attack on a security checkpoint near the border with Israel on 5 August.
