The Bedouins were then said to have broke into the armory of the police
station and took away more than 70 automatic weapons and 20,000 rounds of
ammunition.
"The Bedouins also seized the communications and night-vision systems,
which are both expensive and not available in many parts of Egypt," the
source said.
The abducted police officers were said to have been severely beaten. A
day later, they were released and most of the officers were hospitalized for
broken bones and concussions. In all, more than 70 police officers were
captured in clashes in eastern Sinai, which ended on Nov. 12.
In all, four Bedouins were killed in clashes with police. Three of them
were said to have been shot dead and their bodies dumped along the Israeli
border. Bedouin leaders have called for a special investigation of the Sinai
police.
The biggest Bedouin threat, the sources said, has come from the Tarabin
tribe, one of the largest in Sinai. Unlike most Bedouins, Tarabin have
numerous relatives in the Gaza Strip, Israel and Jordan.
About 200,000 Bedouins live in Sinai and have long complained of
official discrimination. Security sources said Tarabin, active around El
Arish, and other tribes in eastern Sinai have been active in drug and
weapons smuggling to the Gaza Strip.
"Tarabin has become close to Hamas and perhaps even Al Qaida and they
have been harboring Palestinian operatives in eastern Sinai," the source
said. "We don't see this as being over yet."
