Egyptian police shoot Nigerian woman

12.05.2008

EGYPTIAN police on Sunday shot and wounded a Nigerian woman as she tried to cross the border illegally into Israel, a security official has said.

“Police asked the woman to stop but she ignored calls and continued to head towards Israel forcing police to fire shots,” the official said.

The 24-year-old woman was taken to El-Arish Hospital in North Sinai, where her condition was said to be critical, the official added.

In recent months, Egypt has arrested dozens of illegal immigrants, mostly Africans, trying to sneak into Israel from the Sinai in search of work. Several have been killed while trying to cross the frontier.