CAIRO ( 3 Terrorists " Car Bomb " went off before they could drop it off at the spot ) They were killed

CAIRO – At least three alleged terrorists died Wednesday when the vehicle in which they were riding blew up near the city of Al Arish in the northern part of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, a security official told Efe.

The official said that the men were driving a car packed with explosives and that the blast occurred south of Al Arish.

Meanwhile, security sources cited by the state-run news agency Mena said that the car probably detonated before the presumed terrorists arrived at the site where they were going to stage an attack.

A few hours earlier, a member of the security forces was shot to death by a sniper at a border checkpoint south of Al Arish.

The incidents coincide with a speech by army chief Gen. Abdel Fatah el-Sisi, who asked Egyptians to hold a demonstration on Friday to show support for the armed forces and the police in eradicating violence and terrorism.

For months, the Sinai has been the scene of attacks and sabotage by armed men and Bedouins, and these incidents have increased after the July 3 military coup that deposed Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

The army and the police on June 30 began a series of operations against armed groups in the Sinai coinciding with the huge protests against the then-president. EFE