Egypt police kill Sudanese man trying to cross into Israel

EL-ARISH, Egypt (AFP) — Egyptian police shot dead a Sudanese man and seriously wounded an Eritrean on Monday as they opened fire on African migrants trying to cross illegally into Israel, a security official told AFP.

Police spotted Adam Mohammed Othman, 23, near the border south of the town of Rafah and shot him dead when he failed to heed their orders to stop, the official said.

Police arrested seven Eritreans and an Ethiopian who had been poised to make the illegal crossing with him.

The Eritrean sustained a bullet wound in the neck in a separate shooting at the border, the official added.

There has been a growing stream of casualties from shooting incidents at the border as the Egyptian police have cracked down on illegal migrants.

Israel announced last month that it was considering reviving plans to build a fence the length of the porous 250-kilometre (155-mile) desert frontier in a bid to stem the flow of people, arms and drugs.

On Saturday, police shot and wounded another Sudanese -- Zakaria Mussa, 24 -- as he attempted the crossing with two compatriots, who were both arrested.

Dozens of migrants, mainly Africans, have been arrested in recent months. Several have been killed while trying to make the crossing into Israel.








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