Sinai militant suspect killed by explosives

ISMAILIA, Egypt, May 19 (Reuters) A man wanted for involvement in bombings of tourist resorts in Sinai killed himself by accident today while trying to attack police who were pursuing him, security sources said.

Arafat Ali, 28, was blown up by an explosive device which he had tried to throw at policemen who had encircled him in Rafah, a town which is straddles Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip.

The sources said he was second in command of a group called Tawhid wal Jihad, which the authorities say has carried out a series of attacks in Sinai since October 2004.

They describe it as a group of Bedouin from the Sinai peninsula with militant Islamist views. The police say they killed the group's leader earlier this month.

The group's last attack was last month in Dahab. Nineteen people were killed.

The Red Sea resort of Taba and beach camps further south were bombed in October 2004 and Sharm el-Sheikh was bombed in July 2005.

The Sinai attacks have killed at least 117 people in total.

Reuters SHB RN1620