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Egypt: Navy ship attacked by gunmen in Mediterranean Egypt: Navy ship attacked by gunmen in Mediterranean
(about 2 hours later)
Gunmen have attacked an Egyptian navy ship in the Mediterranean Sea, state media say, leaving five servicemen injured and eight more missing at sea.Gunmen have attacked an Egyptian navy ship in the Mediterranean Sea, state media say, leaving five servicemen injured and eight more missing at sea.
The vessel reportedly caught fire in the assault, some 70km (45 miles) off the northern port of Damietta.The vessel reportedly caught fire in the assault, some 70km (45 miles) off the northern port of Damietta.
Four boats were used in the assault by "terrorists" and 32 attackers were arrested, the military said. In two further attacks in northern Sinai, militants killed five policemen and soldiers, officials said.
The Egyptian navy frequently intercepts migrant smugglers and drug traffickers off its Mediterranean coast. A three-month state of emergency was declared in northern Sinai last month after 31 soldiers were killed.
The army is also facing an Islamist insurgency in the restive Sinai Peninsula, where jihadists have stepped up attacks against police and soldiers since the overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi last year. Jihadists have stepped up attacks against police and soldiers since the overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi last year.
However, direct attacks on Egyptian naval vessels are unusual. However, direct attack on Egyptian naval vessels are unusual.
The group behind the latest attack has not yet been identified. The group behind the latest attack, which happened on Wednesday, has not yet been identified.
'Air force deployed''Air force deployed'
According to Reuters, four gunmen were killed after they opened fire at the navy vessel from a fishing boat on Wednesday. Four fishing boats were used in the assault by "terrorists", four of whom were killed, the military said.
Another 32 were arrested and were being interrogated, it added.
Analysis: Orla Guerin, BBC News, Cairo
If this was a militant attack in the Mediterranean, as the Egyptian army has said, then it's the opening of a new front.
The military says "terrorist elements" struck at dawn on Wednesday. More than a day later it has not released any information about the alleged assailants.
The incident happened north of the port of Damietta, where armed people traffickers are known to operate. Did they clash with the navy to protect their lucrative trade ?
Or was the vessel targeted by militants because it was transporting troops to Sinai, as some are suggesting on social media?
The peninsula has long been a battleground between the military and Islamist insurgents, and security forces moving by road are targeted regularly.
Many questions remain about the waterborne assault. One retired Brigadier has described it as "bewildering."
Local media reported that the Egyptian air force had been deployed to deal with the attackers.Local media reported that the Egyptian air force had been deployed to deal with the attackers.
Those captured were being interrogated, the military said. The Egyptian navy frequently intercepts migrant smugglers and drug traffickers off its Mediterranean coast.
The attack came after a car bomb was found outside a fast-food restaurant in the coastal town of El-Arish, in the Sinai Peninsula, late on Tuesday. In one of the Sinai attacks, two policemen who were not in uniform were shot dead near Rafah by gunmen.
Security officials said they were evacuating residents when the bomb exploded. In a separate attack on Thursday, three Egyptian soldiers were also shot dead after their car was stopped near Sheikh Zuweid several miles to the west of Rafah.
One interior ministry official, speaking to AFP, said the bomb had been detonated remotely by police in a controlled explosion, and that some people were injured by shattered glass. The latest attacks come several days after Egyptian jihadist group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis pledged allegiance to Islamic State (IS) militants, who have taken control of swathes of Syria and Iraq.
"We blew up the car remotely. There was a half a tonne of explosives," Hani Abdel Latif said.
The latest attacks come several days after Egyptian jihadist group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis pledged allegiance to Islamic State (IS) militants, who have taken control of large parts of Syria and Iraq.
Ansar Beit al-Maqdis - or Champions of Jerusalem - has been behind a string of attacks on military and police targets in its stronghold in Sinai.Ansar Beit al-Maqdis - or Champions of Jerusalem - has been behind a string of attacks on military and police targets in its stronghold in Sinai.
A three-month state of emergency was declared there last month after 31 soldiers were killed in two separate militant attacks near El-Arish on 24 October.A three-month state of emergency was declared there last month after 31 soldiers were killed in two separate militant attacks near El-Arish on 24 October.
In a separate development on Wednesday, Egypt's President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi signed a new law allowing for the extradition of foreign nationals sentenced or charged in Egypt.In a separate development on Wednesday, Egypt's President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi signed a new law allowing for the extradition of foreign nationals sentenced or charged in Egypt.
It is believed the law may pave the way for the release of three non-Egyptian Al-Jazeera journalists, including Australian Peter Greste, who have been held for almost a year.It is believed the law may pave the way for the release of three non-Egyptian Al-Jazeera journalists, including Australian Peter Greste, who have been held for almost a year.