Bombs kill two, wound dozens in northern Sinai

Suicide terrorist tried to ram water tanker into barracks • Attacks come days before major investment conference in Sharm e-Sheikh

CAIRO (Reuters) – A suicide bomber killed a civilian and wounded 30 policemen when he tried to ram a water tanker into a police barracks in the Egyptian city of El-Arish on Tuesday. In a second assault, a roadside bomb exploded near a security checkpoint in southern El-Arish, killing an army officer and wounding three others, according to the security sources. They were the latest in a string of attacks in the Sinai Peninsula. The violence came days ahead of an investment conference in the resort of Sharm e-Sheikh, 340 km. south of El-Arish, that Egypt hopes will project an image of stability and attract billions of dollars. The attacks were concentrated in northern Sinai, center of an insurgency by Islamists seeking to topple the Cairo government. Police opened fire on the water tanker, which exploded before it could get into the barracks, the Interior Ministry said. Two civilians were also wounded in the blast, said security and medical sources. “The security forces were on alert and repelled the [vehicle] by firing at it without hesitation, which led to its explosion and the death of its driver,” the Interior Ministry statement said. It added that it had been aware that a water tanker had gone missing and was searching for it when the attack happened. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Sinaibased jihadists, however, have killed hundreds of soldiers and police since the army toppled Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. On Monday, a roadside bomb killed three Egyptian soldiers in Sinai, which is home to the country’s most dangerous Islamist group, Sinai Province. Formerly known as Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, the group has pledged allegiance to Islamic State.