Egypt arrests 95 over suspected militant links

CAIRO, Sep 5 (Reuters) Egyptian security forces have arrested close to 95 people suspected of links to Islamic militancy in sweeps north of the capital, security sources said today.

The sources said 25 Egyptians were detained on Sunday in the Nile Delta city of Damanhour and about 70 others were arrested in the port city of Alexandria over the past two months.

Egyptian newspaper Al Masry Al Youm said the 95 detainees were suspected of having links to the global militant network al Qaeda.

Security sources and a lawyer for some of detainees said those held were arrested after trying to access militant websites but denied they were linked to al Qaeda.

''The state security just arrested some people who were checking militant websites or websites affiliated to al Qaeda,'' lawyer Mamdouh Ismail told Reuters.

Sources said police were searching suspects' homes for militant literature.

Security sources provided few details about those detained, but one source said one of the detainees was an Egyptian in Alexandria who sought to travel to Iraq to fight US-led forces.

On Friday, Egyptian police were searching for five suspected al Qaeda militants in the Sinai peninsula amid heightened security.

The spectre of militancy has recently returned to Egypt with three deadly attacks targeting Red Sea resort areas in Sinai over the past two years, attacks that Egypt has blamed on Sinai-based militants.

REUTERS SHB KP2128