President Mohamed Mursi met on Thursday with Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim to discuss ways to release security officers who were kidnapped in Sinai earlier today.

Militants kidnapped seven security officers on Thursday morning, including four army recruits and three state security officers.

Sinai's problems are not solved by abducting or terrorizing people, Mursi said.

We must work on solving all of Sinai's issues, especially in the areas of development.

The president emphasised the importance of preserving the lives of the kidnapped and the kidnappers.

Mursi summoned Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim and Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in the morning to discuss the officers' kidnapping, the state news agency reported. 

The meeting included discussions on the overall security situation in Egypt.

Military sources told the state news agency MENA that Egypt stepped up security on the Rafah border that is shared with Israel on Thursday, fearing that the kidnappers would attempt to smuggle the captured victims into Gaza through the tunnels.