Egyptian police have arrested a leading member of an armed Islamist group suspected of several bombings of a pipeline supplying gas to Israel and Jordan.

Officials say Mohammed el-Tihi was arrested Sunday in the northern Sinai town of al-Arish. Egyptian authorities say he is responsible for a series of attacks on the pipeline that has disrupted fuel supplies for weeks throughout the year.

Saboteurs have attacked the pipeline at least six times this year. The pipeline is run by Gasco, a subsidiary of Egypt's national gas company.

Authorities say al-Tihi is also responsible for deadly attacks on police in the Sinai.