Israeli officials say troops shoot at group of infiltrators near border with Egypt, kill 1

Israeli troops shoot at group along Egypt border

JERUSALEM — Israeli troops fired at unidentified infiltrators after they crossed the border from Egypt Wednesday, fatally shooting one of them, Israeli security officials said.

The officials said troops saw a group of men crossing Sinai’s porous border with Israel before dawn and fired on one of them after spotting an unspecified weapon.

The officials said the infiltrators dropped a package before fleeing back into Egypt, and that the man who was shot at made it back across the border to Egypt before dying of his wounds there.

It was not immediately clear how the Israeli troops knew the man had died. The Israeli army later said the abandoned package contained drugs. No other details were provided.

Later Wednesday, Egyptian security officials said they found the body of an Egyptian smuggler in the area of the shooting. They said there were two bullet wounds to the man’s back but did not confirm it was the same person that Israeli troops shot.

All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Associated Press Writer Ashraf Sweilam contributed reporting from Sinai, Egypt.