CAIRO, June 22 (UPI) -- Egyptian security forces stopped a manhunt for a suspected terrorist in a rugged region of the Sinai Peninsula, a security source said Wednesday.
The source who spoke to UPI on condition of anonymity said some 2,000 security forces ended the search for Ahmed Saleh Fleifel, the main suspect in the bombing of tourist resorts in Taba which killed 34 people last October.
The source said Fleifel managed to escape in the rugged mountainous area after he was sheltered by local Bedouins.
The Egyptian authorities started the search operation a week ago during which a gunman and a policeman were killed and four other security forces were wounded when police clashed with armed Bedouins in the region.
In the meantime, the trial of three other suspects in the bombing which claimed the lives of 11 Israeli tourists, is scheduled to begin at the state security court next month. If convicted, the defendants could be sentenced to death.
