Egypt jails 3 foreigners for life

Cairo - An Egyptian court has sentenced two Israelis and a Ukrainian to life in prison on charges of smuggling weapons through the Taba border crossing from Israel, Al Ahram newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The three were also fined around 10 000 US dollars each.

The Ukrainian and one of the Israelis are in custody, while the court sentenced the third defendant in absentia.

Since the ouster of president Hosni Mubarak in February 2011, Egyptian security forces have been facing challenges to secure the Sinai peninsula, where a series of attacks have rocked the northern town of al-Arish and blasts targeted pipelines exporting gas to Israel.

A German and an Austrian citizens are separately facing trial in Egypt on charges of smuggling weapons into the country. - Sapa-dpa