One Egyptian, two Israelis face espionage charges in Egypt

The State Security Prosecution in Egypt announced in a statement Sunday the referral of one Egyptian citizen and two Israelis to trial on charges of spying for Israel.

The prosecution said that Salamah Sulaiman Barakat, an Egyptian citizen and Sinai resident currently in custody pending investigations, will be tried along with two “fugitive” Israelis Gomaa al-Dary al-Tarabini and Shalom Fwaser, on charges of “spying for a foreign country and disclosing state secrets.”

According to the prosecution, one of the Israeli defendants is an officer at the Israeli military intelligence.

A total of five Egyptians, one Jordanian and seven Israeli intelligence officers are currently prosecuted in Egypt on charges of “espionage” for Israel. The Israelis, however, are tried in absentia.

In October 2011, Israel released 25 Egyptian prisoners in exchange for one American-Israeli who had been held in Egypt for four months on charges of espionage.