Ministry of Interior authorities have been able to capture five African nationals as they tried to enter Israel illegally via the Egyptian borders in central Sinai, after a heavy shootout in the area north of international border marker no. 9 in the mid-Sinai region. A Central Security force patrolling the border between Egypt and Israel had come upon a Bedouin man accompanied by five individuals trying to cross the border into Israel illegally. When warned, the Bedouin opened fire on the Central Security force, which responded with gunfire. The security force was able to contain the incident and apprehend the five individuals suspected of trying to cross the border illegally. They were discovered to bear the nationality of an African country. Their Bedouin guide fled the scene and intense efforts have been launched to apprehend the suspect and recover the firearm in his possession.