Attackers blow up gas pipeline in Egypt

EL-ARISH, Egypt – An Egyptian security official says attackers have set off explosives along a gas pipeline in the country's Sinai peninsula, halting exports to neighboring Israel and Jordan.

The blast that took place Sunday at dawn is the twelfth successful attack on the line since the popular uprising that ousted longtime Egyptians leader Hosni Mubarak in February last year.

The official says the attack by presumed Islamist militants caused huge fires, but fire engines put it out hours later. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

The mountainous peninsula has seen a surge in lawlessness in the last week. On Friday two Americans were briefly abducted by Bedouin tribesmen in the latest of a series of kidnappings.