20110207
xinhua

CAIRO, Feb.7 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's public prosecution in North Sinai said improvised explosive device put under the main tube of the coverage station in Arish caused the bombing of a gas pipeline, official MENA news agency reported.

The guards of the station said that four masked persons in a vehicle attacked them in early morning on Saturday and retained them in their car, and they heard the blast after few minutes, according to public prosecution.

A natural gas pipeline exploded on Saturday in Arish in Egypt's North Sinai, 3 km from the Arish airport, causing a massive fire but no injuries. The blast occurred at the gas terminal and cut the supply to Jordan.

North Sinai Governor Abdel Wahab Mabrouk told Xinhua after the blast that it was probably a sabotage.

Arish is a major hub where Egypt exports its gas to Jordan and Israel.

Israel Radio said the Egypt-Israel pipeline was not damaged, but the supply stopped as a precaution.

The blast occurred as anti-Mubarak protests entered their 12th day. The largest Coptic church in the Rafah town on the north Sinai border with Gaza strip caught fire on the same day, with some witnesses saying there had been an explosion but no casualties.

While in early Monday morning, a security force camp in the town of Rafah was attacked and one citizen was injured, security sources said.

Attackers fired three grenades to the camp. One of them exploded at the building and the other two exploded in the desert, a security source told Xinhua.

Health authorities said some 5,000 people were injured since the nationwide anti-government protests began on Jan. 25, and more than 300 people were killed according to UN statistics.