Gunmen have seized seven Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula, dpa quoted a security official as saying on Thursday. The masked gunmen kidnapped the soldiers - four army troops and three policemen in the town of Al-Arish in northern Sinai and took them to an unknown location, added the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. 'It is likely that the gunmen abducted the soldiers to pressure the government into releasing relatives being held in prison,' the official said. No-one has claimed responsibility. The remote desert peninsula has suffered from major security problems since February 2011.
