Egyptian police arrest 13 Africans trying to cross illegally into Israel

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Egyptian authorities arrested 13 Africans on Monday, including an 18-month-old child, who were allegedly trying to cross illegally into Israel from the Sinai Peninsula, a security official said. Border guards fired into the air to get the Africans to stop before apprehending them near the area of Kantella, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. The group, which included four women, was made up of nine migrants from Eritrea, three from Nigeria and one from Ethiopia, the official added. Dozens of African migrants have been detained over the past few months as they tried to cross into Israel from various points in the Sinai Peninsula, and several have been shot and killed by Egyptian border guards.