Egypt accuses activist of spying

Ibrahim: Respected figure at Cairo's American University

Egyptian prosecutors have accused a leading pro-democracy campaigner of spying for the United States.

Saad Eddine Ibrahim, a university professor of US-Egyptian nationality, has been held in police custody since 30 June without being formally charged.

His lawyers said the new charge came up in a late-night interrogation session on Saturday.

They accused him of espionage for the United States with aim of harming the military, political and economic interests of Egypt

Mr Ibrahim's lawyer Farid al-Deeb

Mr Ibrahim had been critical of the Egyptian Government over elections irregularities.

His lawyer Farid al-Deeb said the new charges pertained to a conference attended by Mr Ibrahim on 28 April 1994.

"The conference was organised by the US Ministry of Defence and [he] gave a talk on his research into Islamic extremism in Egypt," Mr al-Deeb told Reuters news agency.

"They accused him of espionage for the United States with aim of harming the military, political and economic interests of Egypt," added Mr al-Deeb.

Accusations

Mr Ibrahim was initially accused of receiving illegal funds from abroad, tarnishing Egypt's image and forging voter registeration cards.

Two weeks ago, accusations of inciting sectarian strife were added, and on Friday the prosecutors said Mr Ibrahim "bribed" state television officials for research information.

Barbara Ibrahim, the accused's wife, told the AFP news agency she believed the investigators had sped up their probe under pressure from the Egyptian Government.

"The state security has been under pressure to stop dragging this process out and because of that pressure they've now speeded up the investigation, looking for convenient things to manipulate public opinion," she said.

US officials and rights group including Amnesty International have been urging Egypt to release Mr Ibrahim or specify formal charges against him.

Mr Ibrahim is a respected academic figure, a professor of sociology at the American University in Cairo (AUC), who also heads the Ibn Khaldun Centre for Development Studies.

He has been a regular interviewee in the international media, where he has criticised the lack of democracy in Arab states and their mistreatment of minority groups.