Egyptian security men kidnapped in Sinai freed

Six policemen, border guard kidnapped by terrorists freed after a successful mediation following military operation in northern Sinai.

The release followed a security buildup and a massive show of force by the military in northern Sinai. The seven men were let go in the middle of the desert in the early hours Wednesday, and some were able later to speak to their families by telephone.

Col. Ahmed Mohamed Ali, the military spokesman, said on the army’s official Facebook page that the release came about as a “result of efforts by military intelligence, in cooperation with the honorable tribal leaders and Sinairesidents.”

President Mohamed Morsi received the men at a military air base in a Cairo suburb to where they were flown from Sinai.