CAIRO, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Egyptian police aborted an attempt to smuggle arms into Gaza, a day after Israel sounded the alarm over the flow of weapons through the Egyptian border.
A security official said weapons and ammunitions concealed in 200 boxes were seized Friday in the area of Balouza in northern Sinai which is adjacent to the Gaza Strip.
He said the weapons were initially smuggled into Egypt from abroad, but seized at a police checkpoint before the truck in which they were transported reached the border area with Gaza.
Three smugglers in addition to the truck driver were arrested and interrogated to reveal the party behind the operation, the official said.
The incident occurred a day after Israeli Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben Eliezer held talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on the surge in arms smuggling to Gaza through the border with Egypt.
Ben Eliezer said he complained about the flow of weapons, including anti-tank rockets from Iran, to Gaza through tunnels dug up under the Egyptian border.
He said Israel is deeply worried about "continued smuggling of arms to the Palestinians through tunnels and by sea."
"I told (Mubarak) that the arms are continuing to flow and this is a big matter," Ben Eliezer said.
