Four people killed in blast at intelligence site in Egypt's Sinai

CAIRO - Reuters

Four people were killed on Wednesday when a car bomb exploded at an intelligence facility in Egypt's Sinai, state television reported.

More than 10 people were wounded in the attack. The Sinai, which borders Israel and the Gaza Strip, has seen a sharp rise in militant attacks since the army ousted Islamist president Mohamed Mursi in July.
 
An earlier report by state TV said four people were wounded when rocket-propelled grenades were fired at a military facility in Sinai. It was not clear if this was a separate attack.
 
Witnesses said they heard explosions and saw clashes between militants and military forces in Sinai.
 
In a separate incident, an explosion hit an army checkpoint in the al Imam Ali district of Rafah in northern Sinai, close to the Gaza border.
 
The Sinai-based Islamist militant group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis had claimed responsibility for an attempt last week to kill the Egyptian interior minister in Cairo and promised more attacks in revenge for a crackdown on Egypt's Islamists.
 
The Egyptian army launched an offensive against Islamist militants near Sheikh Zuweid in North Sinai this week. The troops deployed dozens of tanks as well as armoured vehicles and attack helicopters, killing or wounding at least 30 people and arresting nine suspects, according to security officials.