CAIRO, (Reuters) – Egypt’s President Mohamed Mursi appointed a new national intelligence chief and sacked the governor of the increasingly lawless north Sinai region on Wednesday after gunmen killed 16 border guards there, a presidency spokesman said.

Mursi vowed to restore security to Sinai after the incident on Sunday, which officials blamed on Islamic militants who have stepped up attacks on security forces since the overthrow of his predecessor Hosni Mubarak last year.