A joint security campaign by the Interior Ministry and the armed forces in Marsa Matrouh near the Libyan border on Monday succeeded in thwarting an attempt to smuggle weapons via the great sand sea in the Siwa Oasis.

A joint security campaign by the Egyptian Interior Ministry and the armed forces in Marsa Matrouh near the Libyan border on Monday succeeded in thwarting an attempt to smuggle 50 rockets, three machine guns and 96,000 bullets through the great sand sea in the Siwa Oasis.

Medhat al-Nahas, commander of the western military region, said the smugglers, who were driving a Land Cruiser without license plates, exchanged fire with the patrol before they managed to flee, leaving the car behind.

The patrol also found 120 kg of hashish in the car.

Another joint security campaign in North Sinai has seized ten anti-aircraft shells from leftover from past military campaigns in an unpopulated desert region.

In Sakkara, the Antiquities Police Department found 35 ancient Egyptian statuettes that were stolen and hidden in an archaeological site, while in Alexandria, seven bronze statuettes were found in a plastic bag hidden in a building under construction.