 Sinai residents salvaged two decapitated youths’ bodies in south Rafah in the early hours of Sunday.
The two young men were “mysteriously kidnapped” on Saturday, according to eyewitness accounts.
Security sources said the police are continuously exerting efforts to identify the victims, adding that “it is probably extremist elements behind this incident.”
Ten days ago, four decapitated bodies were similarly found in the peninsula. A fifth beheaded body was found on Friday.
In a video allegedly released by the Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis militant group on Thursday, the group claimed responsibility for the execution, accusing the deceased of providing intelligence to Israel. The group has also warned inhabitants of Sinai against “cooperating with the Jews and spying on their fellow Muslims”, urging those involved to repent to be pardoned.
The militant group has claimed responsibility for several terrorist attacks in Cairo and Sinai, including an attempt on Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim’s life last September.
Militants have stepped up their attacks targeting the army and police since last year’s ouster of former President Mohamed Mursi, which followed mass protests against his rule.
According to the government, nearly 500 people, mostly security personnel, were killed in armed attacks and bombings in the Sinai Peninsula and other cities.
The peninsula has witnessed its most stringent security crackdown in years since Mursi’s ouster.