Egyptian charged with spying for Israel says he confessed under torture

[Doondoo]

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- An Egyptian charged with spying for Israel pleaded not guilty at the start of his trial on Saturday and claimed he had confessed under torture, a court official said. Mohammed el-Attar, who also holds Canadian citizenship, was arrested on Jan. 1 as he returned from abroad to visit his family in Egypt. He was charged with spying for Israel and harming Egyptian national interests. Three Israelis, who were charged alongside el-Attar, remain at large and are being tried in absentia. If convicted, el-Attar and his co-defendants face a maximum life sentence, with hard labor.

After el-Attar's appearance Saturday at the State Security Emergency court, the judge adjourned the hearings until Wednesday. In his plea, el-Attar accused security officers of torturing him to get his confession, according to a court official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk the press.

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According to the prosecutors, el-Attar confessed of spying for Israel and gave a detailed account of his role in collecting information about Egyptians, and Arabs living in Turkey and Canada in return for money. He also received instructions from the three Israelis, said to be intelligence officers, to recruit Christian Egyptian immigrants in Canada using money and sex.


http://www.wvgazette.com/section/APNews/News/ap0466n