Egypt renews imprisonment of spy charged of collaboration with Israel

The Supreme State Security Court in Egypt issued its decision to renew the imprisonment of the Egyptian spy Samir Osman, nicknamed Al Ghatas, for another 45 days for further interrogation by the Egyptian Public Prosecutor. Samir had been charged with collaborating with the Israeli Mossad.

The court had informed Osman of the charges filed by the prosecutor through which it asked for the renewal of his imprisonment. The charges included spying for a foreign country (Israel) which impaired Egyptian economic, national and military interests as he used his experience in the Egyptian navy without having prior permission from the concerned authorities.

Egyptian law enforcement authorities had arrested Osman last May after tracing his repeated sailing from the Egyptian area of Taba to the Israeli coasts in a diving suit. He was found to have been collecting information with a camera which he hid in his clothes and then sending that information to the Mossad (Israeli intelligence).

Egypt had also refused to release convicted Israeli spy Azzam Azzam who is spending a 15 year term in an Egyptian jail for spying.