Many residents of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula believe that the kidnapping of seven Egyptian security personnel near the city of Al-Arish on Thursday was "retaliation" by Bedouin tribesmen for heavy-handed security policies adopted by the interior ministry.

On Thursday morning, seven Egyptian security personnel – from both the army and police – were kidnapped by an unknown group in North Sinai while en route to Cairo.

It is not the first time since Egypt's 25 January Revolution that confrontations have taken place between security forces and tribesmen.

Many Sinai residents seek to revenge themselves on security forces after years of heavy-handed security policies under Mubarak-era interior minister Habib El-Adly, who many accuse of failing to respect human rights and tribal traditions.

Mohamed El-Asati, who hails from Sinai's Aleiqat tribe, told Ahram Online that interior ministry policies had left a painful legacy among local tribesmen, especially during the current rule of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood.

"The security apparatus did not respect tribal traditions or customs," he said. "We have always been regarded as shepherds, drug traffickers or spies for Israel. So after the revolution, you will find psychological reasons for their desire for vengeance. "

He added that there was not a single family in Sinai that did not have at least one son imprisoned, detained or on the run from authorities.

"The interior ministry wants to return to its old ways," said El-Asati. "But this is unacceptable after the revolution. The Bedouin have already paid a heavy price for the return of the land [the Sinai Peninsula] in the October 1973 War."

"We also paid a heavy price in terms of our security and dignity in the Mubarak era. And after the revolution, we will not allow the interior ministry's old brutal policies to return during the era of Muslim Brotherhood rule," he added.

Ministry equipment and armoured vehicles have also provoked local residents, especially given Sinai residents' bad economic conditions, according to Sinai-based activist Ashraf El-Hanfy.

"The ministry's iron fist is back again in Sinai, just like the days before the revolution. It's even worse under the new rule, which means the revolution did not accomplish its mission in Sinai," El-Hanfy said.

"There is no real security now in Sinai, but only oppression," he added. "This is the main reason for today's kidnappings."

According to local residents, the kidnapping of security personnel in North Sinai followed revelations that a detained Bedouin tribesman had been tortured in Tora Prison, which infuriated his family.

Some North Sinai tribesmen kidnap security personnel in order to negotiate the release of colleagues previously detained by authorities. South Sinai residents, meanwhile, occasionally kidnap foreign tourists for similar reasons.