Egyptian and two Israelis accused of espionage

An Egyptian and two Israelis were accused of espionage on Thursday, according to privately owned newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm.

A resident of Northern Sinai, Salama Mohamed Soliman Breikat, along with two Israelis — one of whom is an alleged member of Israeli intelligence — have been accused of spying on Egypt for Israel.

The two Israelis, Gomaa Adbari al-Tarabeel and Shlomo Soffeer, are not in custody, but Breikat is currently being detained.

According to General Attorney Tamer al-Fergany, the accused Soliman Breikat provided the others with information that could jeopardize national security. 

Investigations revealed that Tarabeel served as a middleman between the defendants.

According to state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper, Breikat is accused of cooperating with a foreign country to harm Egypt's interests, providing a foreign entity with information about the Armed Forces and the location of jihadist groups in North Sinai.

Breikat received US$21 thousand and 19,000 Shekel in payment for his services, Al-Ahram reported.

An alleged Israeli spy, Ilan Chaim Gabrel, was arrested in Cairo a few months after the January 25, 2011 Uprising, and was accused of inciting chaos and sectarian strife. Gabrel, reportedly a former Mossad officer, was later sent to his home town in an exchange between the Egyptian and Israeli governments in return for Egyptian prisoners held in Israel.