Egypt has charged an Egyptian who holds Canadian citizenship and three Israelis with spying for Israel, a state prosecutor said on Saturday according to Reuters. High State Security Prosecutor Hisham Badawi said the Egyptian, Mohamed Essam Ghoneim el-Attar, 31, had been arrested and charged. The rest of the spy ring were in Turkey and Canada, and arrest warrants had been issued for them. Badawi said the Israelis had recruited Attar while he was living in Turkey in Aug. 2001, had assisted him in obtaining a residency permit in Canada under a fake name and found him work in a bank. Attar was paid to spy on Egyptians and Arabs during his time in Turkey and Canada, and used his position in the bank to obtain information on specific accounts, Badawi added. He was also expected to scout and approach potential recruits, according to Badawi, and was paid $56,000 between Aug. 2001 and Jan. 1 2007, when he was arrested at Cairo airport as he entered Egypt for a family visit. Badawi said Attar had been under investigation since Jan. 2002 and would stand trial before a High State Security Emergency Court.
