Egyptian arrested on espionage for Israeli Mossad
Egypt-Israel, Politics, 2/4/2007

The Supreme State Security Prosecution yesterday referred an Al-Azhar University student (held) and three Israeli Mossad officers (at large) to the Supreme State Security Court on charges of spying for Israel.

The names of the four were released. The Egyptian student was identified as Mohammed Essam Ghoneim Al-Attar.

Investigations revealed that the four suspects started, in the period from August 2001 to January 2007, collaboration with parties working with a foreign country to harm the national interests of Egypt.

It turned out that Mohammed Al-Attar agreed, while outside Egypt, with the three Israeli intelligence officers to cooperate with them through providing them with information and reports about some Egyptian and other Arab nationals living in both Turkey and Canada, with a view to recruiting those nationals to work for the Israeli Mossad.

It also transpired that Attar had received from parties operating for a foreign country some $ 56,000 in return for collaborating with them.

Investigations showed that the three Israeli officers had actually been given information and reports about Egyptian and Arab nationals living in Turkey and Canada.

Investigations revealed that the four suspects shared the same felony; namely bribery and espionage.

It also turned out that Mohammed Al-Attar obtained a passport in the academic year 2001 to travel to Turkey.

He went to the Israeli embassy in Ankara and offered his services to the Israeli Mossad. He was accepted and recruited.

He was assigned with going to places frequented by Egyptian and other Arab nationals to chat with them and ultimately seek to enlist them.

A cafe near the Egyptian embassy in Ankara was among such targets.

Attar's efforts yielded fruit and he succeeded in persuading a number of Egyptians and other Arab citizens in Turkey to work for the Israeli intelligence in return for generous sums of money.

Attar, according to the investigations, left Turkey for Canada and was able to obtain a residence visa under the fake name of Joseph Ramzi Attar.

He sought to establish strong relationships with Egyptians and Arabs living there. He bought a new Mercedes and got a job in a bank in Canada.

Attar was arrested upon his return home at Cairo International Airport on January 1.

During investigations, Attar said he felt alienated from the Egyptian society around him. This is why he had decided to travel abroad for good.

He also admitted that he received training from an Israeli Mossad officer on means of getting information about Egyptian and Arab nationals in Ankara and ways of winning their confidences and photographing them before submitting his report to the Mossad.

He also admitted that he had received money in return for his services. The defendant was arrested at Cairo Airport on January 1, 2007 on a visit to Egypt to meet his family.

Security authorities found a paper with him that contains items of advice given by the Israeli Mossad officer.

Among these items was not to stay in Egypt more than a month and then travel to Israel via Jordan.

The investigations conducted under chief of prosecution Hesham Badawy showed that the Egyptian intelligence service was monitoring the spy for five years since his travel to Turkey and Canada and his relations with the Israeli officers who recruited him.

Previous Stories:
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