Egypt investigates accusations of espionage against US, UK and Israel

Egypt’s Prosecutor General Hisham Barakat has ordered an investigation into allegations that US President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been involved in a spy ring in the country.

Lawyer Ahmed Abdel-Salam Al-Reety lodged a complaint against the four world leaders demanding that Egyptian authorities put them on Cairo International Airport’s watch list over allegations that their countries have been involved in espionage in Egypt.

Al-Reety referred to reports published by several Egyptian media outlets stating that Egypt’s General Intelligence apparatus had arrested two spy rings accused of sending reports about Egypt to foreign intelligence agencies during the country’s 2012 presidential elections.

In his complaint, Al-Reety said that Egyptian media reported Egypt’s General Intelligence Directorate succeeded in arresting members of two spy rings allegedly operating in the country since March 25. The first group had seven members, including three Egyptians; while the second has five members.

Egyptian media reports allege that the arrested spies were collecting information about the situation in Egypt and sending it to the intelligence bodies of a number of foreign countries, including the US, UK, Germany and Israel.

The complaint said that this constitutes a clear violation of international treaties and conventions and serves as a declaration of war on the Egyptian state, and therefore, the Egyptian officials must take firm and deterrent action against them in accordance with article 82 of the Egyptian Penal Code.

Al-Reety added that all Egyptians who deal with those countries and provide them with information about the internal Egyptian situation must be put on trial too.