The Prosecutor General Hisham Barakat ordered the referral of four people to the criminal court, including two men labelled as Mossad officers and two Egyptians, who have confessed to spying for Israel.
Samuel Ben Zaif and David Weizman were named as the two “Mossad officers” accused of setting up a spy ring, according to the prosecutor’s statement. Egyptian Ramzy Mohamed Ahmed El-Shibini travelled to Italy and “over the course of 2009 decided himself to become a spy for Israel, hoping to receive extravagant amounts of money.” El-Shibini in turn recruited Sahr Ibrahim Mohamed Salama when he returned to Egypt. Salama, according to the statement, was a journalist and according to the prosecution she used her resources to “gather information on Egyptian affairs” and wrote reports on trends in Egyptian society and opinion as well as the movements of the Egyptian armed forces during and after the 25 January Revolution. The prosecution also said Salama provided information about Egyptian affairs during the Muslim Brotherhood’s time in office and information on Egyptians living abroad, “according to the demands of Israeli intelligence.”
Sahr then allegedly passed the information to El-Shibini, who in turn sent it to the Israeli intelligence agency. Barakat’s statement revealed that El-Shibini held meetings with Israeli intelligence agents in several European countries and received payment in the form of “€90,000, gifts and mobile phones.” The statement said that Israeli intelligence set up “sexual liaisons” with “women from elements of Israeli intelligence” in order to closer monitor him and ensure he was under control.
Barakat’s statement said that both the Egyptian defendants confessed when they were confronted with the evidence. Ben Zaif and Weizman are accused forming an Israeli spy ring inside Egypt.
Barakat ordered that El-Shibini and Salama remain in detention and issued arrest warrants for Ben Zaif and Weizman, whose whereabouts are unknown.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s office, which is the parent agency of the intelligence organisation, did not respond to a request for information.
