Egypt says it arrested suspected militants planning attacks

CAIRO – Egypt’s Interior Ministry says authorities have arrested an extremist cell planning anti-government attacks.

Ten suspects have been arrested in the province of Suez and have confessed to doing surveillance work in preparation for targeting a number of security locations and police personnel, the ministry said in a statement. One of those arrested, Abdel Rahman al-Hadi, has links to militants in North Sinai and has received bomb-making and weapons training there, it said.

Egypt’s Islamic State affiliate is active in Sinai, where the Egyptian army is fighting to curb a militant insurgency and consolidate its grip on the area.