More troops and equipment arrive in Egypt's Sinai as hostage crisis continues

An Egyptian Army vehicle with a tank heads to the closed Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza strip, in Sheikh Zuweyid, northern Sinai, Egypt, Monday, May 20, 2013. Security officials said 17 military and more than 20 police armored vehicles were deployed in northern Sinai Monday as a response to the kidnapping by suspected militants of six policemen and a border guard there last Thursday. It was not clear if they deployed to rescue the hostages, to make a show of force to intimidate their captors, or for another reason. (AP Photo/Roger Anis, El Shorouk Newspaper) EGYPT OUT (The Associated Press)

CAIRO – Egyptian security officials say they have deployed additional military and police, along with helicopters and rocket launchers, to the northern Sinai Peninsula as part of a buildup in response to the kidnapping of security forces there.

Suspected militants abducted six policemen and a border guard last week and demanded the release of scores of prisoners from the region, including convicted colleagues. On Tuesday, a joint military and police force combed a deserted village in North Sinai governorate along with helicopter support.

A security official said the search of the suspected militant hideout yielded no arrests, and a few shots were fired to disperse a watching crowd. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.