The officials gave no further details on today's attack. They say elsewhere in Sinai today, security forces arrested 16 suspected militants, including a man wanted in the abduction of six policemen and a border guard earlier this year.
They say the man, Ismail Abu Shita, carried out the abductions to pressure police to release his imprisoned brother. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to talk to media.
Controversial negotiations with the abductors during President Mohammed Morsi's rule helped free the seven.
