CAIRO, Jan 13 (Aswat Masriya) – Egypt's security forces found early Tuesday the dead body of an officer kidnapped in North Sinai two days ago, the armed forces spokesman said.

Unidentified gunmen kidnapped on Sunday police officer Ayman al-Desouki, who worked at the Rafah border-crossing.

Security sources told Aswat Masriya that the kidnapped officer was on a bus carrying employees at the Rafah border crossing, when militants stopped the bus and abducted him.

Armed forces Spokesman Mohamed Samir accused "terrorist elements" of killing the officer, in a statement.

Samir said army forces and police forces raided areas harbouring "terrorist elements" in North Sinai's al-Arish, Rafah and Sheikh Zuweid, where they suspected Desouki was kept. The raids left 10 "terrorists" killed, he added.

Militants have stepped up attacks targeting security forces in Egypt, particularly in the Sinai Peninsula, since the army's ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in July 2013, which followed mass protests against his rule.

At least 30 military personnel were killed in a suicide blast which targeted a security checkpoint in Sinai's Sheikh Zuweid on October 24, 2014, in the worst militant attack since Mursi's ouster. 

Egypt’s most active militant group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, which changed its name to Sinai Province since pledging allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria, claimed responsibility for the attack in a video it allegedly released three weeks later.

Militants in North Sinai have recently engaged in the kidnap and execution of Sinai residents whom they accuse of cooperation with security apparatuses.

Residents of North Sinai's Sheikh Zuweid found on Saturday the bodies of two decapitated youths, police sources said.

Tribal sources said the deceased youths were kidnapped two weeks ago by "unidentified gunmen under the pretext of cooperating with security apparatuses."

Police sources said on Saturday that there are currently seven youths kidnapped by the militant group, also for cooperating with security forces.