Egypt army discovers terrorist hideout in central Sinai

The Egyptian armed forces discovered a terrorist hideout containing large amounts of weapons and explosive devices in central Sinai, the military spokesman said in a statement on Saturday.

"The law enforcement forces of the Third Field Army continued their strikes against terrorist hideouts amid the army's efforts to chase out terrorist elements in central Sinai," Military Spokesman Tamer al-Refaay said.

Three terrorist suspects were arrested during the raid, while explosive devices were destroyed, the statement added.

"Inside the discovered terrorist hideout, there are two automatic rifles, RPG missiles and ammunition. The troops also found communication devices and C4 explosive materials," the statement added.

The troops also destroyed a half-truck and 10 motorbikes and nine farms for drugs set up on an area of nine feddans.

Anti-government terror attacks in Egypt have killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the mid-2013 military removal of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in response to mass protests against his one-year rule.

Most of the terrorist attacks nationwide, particularly those in Sinai, have been claimed by a Sinai-based group loyal to the regional Islamic State (IS) militia.

Security campaigns in Sinai have killed hundreds of militants and arrested a similar number of suspects over the past few years as part of the country's anti-terror war declared by former army chief and current President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi following Morsi's removal. Endit