11 arrested in Egypt on terrorism charges

Egyptian authorities Wednesday arrested 11 people, including two Palestinians, in North Sinai on charges of terrorism.

The armed forces in coordination with the police are undertaking sweeping efforts to eradicate "terrorists' hideouts" and crimes in the Sinai peninsula, military spokesman Ahmed Ali said in a statement on the armed forces' Facebook page, Xinhua reported citing state TV.

The army arrested the 11 people in Rafah and Arish, two cities that border the Gaza Strip, the statement added.

The security situation in Sinai has deteriorated since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak in 2011 and worsened after Egypt's first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, an Islamist, was removed by the military after mass protests.

Security officials accuse hardline Islamists of regularly attacking police and army institutions and personnel since the violent dispersal of two massive pro-Morsi sit-ins in mid-August.