EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma'an) -- Egyptian security forces clashed with gunmen in the Sinai peninsula on Friday, a Ma'an reporter said.

Security forces had pursued a vehicle which they believed to contain explosives, leading to clashes with gunmen who later fled the scene.

Egyptian security forces searched the car and found ammunition for automatic weapons and explosive devices.

Two years after the revolution that toppled president Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's Islamist rulers are contending with a rise in militant activity in the Sinai region that borders Israel and the Gaza Strip.