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Egypt Detains Local And Russian In Spy Case
by Emad Mekay
CAIRO (IslamOnline) - Egyptian authorities disclosed a military and economic espionage case involving an Egyptian national and a Russian who allegedly spied on Egypt’s arms industry for Israel was broken, local newspapers reported on Wednesday.
The semi-official newspaper al-Ahram said that security forces arrested 34-year-old Sherif Fawzi al-Filaly two months ago and that the accused man was under interrogation. The newspaper said that a Russian, identified as Grigory Shnevitz, was also wanted, but was on the run.
If convicted both men could face up to life imprisonment.
Local newspapers said that Filaly admitted working for the Israeli intelligence service, the Mossad. He said the Russian man, and a woman he fell in love with in Spain, recruited him.
The Al-Wafd daily reported that Shnevitz posed as an arms dealer who was interested in having Filaly broker deals in Egyptian arms. According to the newspapers, Filaly said he was later told he was working for the Mossad. Filaly asked for $5,000 for his services, the paper said.
In his attempts to collect data on Egyptian arms development programs, Filaly posed as an arms dealer as well.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak denied Israel has any link to the case.
Egypt became the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with the Jewish state in 1979, and later helped broker peace talks between Israel and several other Arab countries.
Relations between the two neighbors have been tense recently over Israel’s excessive use of force against Palestinians demonstrating against Israeli occupation of holy Muslim sites, especially in Jerusalem.
Last week, Egypt recalled its ambassador from Israel and threatened to take further measures if violence against Palestinians did not cease.
Compared to its Arab neighbors, Egypt is a regional military heavyweight having its own arms program. It has fought four wars with the Jewish state and Israeli army commanders often refer to Egypt as a major military threat.
Another Egyptian and an Israeli were sentenced to life imprisonment in 1997 for spying for Israel. Israel, at that time, also claimed that Azam Azam, a member of Israel’s Druze minority who worked as a textile engineer in Cairo for an Israeli company, was not a spy. Israel has, since then, repeatedly demanded his release.
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