The Palestinian smuggler was identified as Ibrahim Abu Madi. Abu Madi,
44, was said to be living in Egypt for decades but retained close ties to
the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip.
The sources said Abu Madi was arrested in Egyptian-controlled Rafah in
late August 2009. They said he was deemed a leading figure in the
construction of smuggling tunnels between the Sinai and Gaza.
In August, smugglers in the Sinai sought to expand their operations
ahead of the Muslim fast month of Ramadan. On Sept. 1, Egypt was said to
have captured 2.7 metric tons of explosives in the eastern Sinai and
destined for Gaza.
The sources said two tons of explosives were captured on Aug. 31 along
the Sinai-Gaza border. On Aug. 30, Egypt seized two caches of 500 kilograms
and 200 kilograms of explosives along the border.
"All of the shipments were supposed to have been sent to Gaza through
the tunnels," the source said. "We learned of this through information from
local residents."
The sources said Abu Madi had been coordinating with the Hamas regime as
well as Palestinian militias and smugglers for shipments of weapons, fuel,
clothing and luxury goods. They said Abu Madi bribed Egyptian security and
police officers to enable the flow from Sinai to Gaza.
In 2009, Egypt arrested about 10 police officers on charges of bribery
by smugglers. Three policemen have undergone interrogation on suspicion of
receiving thousands of dollars to allow shipments to move past checkpoints
near the Sinai-Gaza border.
