Egypt refuses to free Israeli trawler

The Egyptian authorities refused yesterday an Israeli request to release the fishing boat Frihan after it entered Egyptian regional waters near the beaches of Alexandria without having prior permission from the specialized authorities.

Egyptian security bodies stopped the fishing trawler two weeks ago. Ahmed Maghazy, the head of the prosecution at customs in Alexandria decided to free the craft's owner and his crew on the guarantee of their passports, but he held the trawler and charged the border bodies and harbor security to technically inspect the boat, and prepare up a comprehensive report on the reasons for its breaking of international laws and entering Egyptian regional waters.

The trawler's owner, Amin Abbas (48), who is an Israeli Arab, confessed that he agreed with a navigational company in Alexandria on entering the trawler into the harbor, aiming at convening deals to buy Egyptian capital and re-export it to Israel, but the border guards arrested the fishing boat's occupants, five adults and two children.