Israeli who crossed Egyptian border returns home
Sagi Schori, who was arrested by Egyptian forces four days ago after accidentally crossing border, returns to Israel along with motorcycle; will be questioned later on
Bike rider Sagi Schori, 36, who has been held in Egyptian custody for the past four days has been returned to Israel. Schori, who accidentally crossed the border in a fenceless area, was received by security elements as well as his wife, father and close relatives in the Kerem Shalom crossing on Wednesday.
He appeared exhausted yet happy upon his return. Refusing to answer any questions he only wished to thank "all the good people who helped me." His motorcycle was also returned with him.
Schori will be questioned at a later stage, having been briefed by security forces. His father, Meir, said, "The event concluded in a very short time due to a group of people in our country which helped us from the beginning and until now.
Schori returning home (Photo: Photo: Tsafrir Abayov)
"We went through what any parent goes through when his child is in an unknown location, it's been a hard time for us all, thankfully it was brief," the father said. "I don't care what happened to him there, the most important thing is that he's here – we are luckier than many other parents."
The father also noted that the fact that his son came back with all his equipment, including his cellular phone, shows he wasn't ill-treated by the Egyptians, "who realized it was a mistake."
Schori was detained by an Egyptian patrol squad in the Nahal Lavan area on Saturday, not far from his home in the Kadesh Barnea community. "Once he realized he had crossed the border it was already too late, because he was already on the road facing Egyptian policemen," the community's military security officer, Amit Vered, explained.
The Nahal Lavan area where Schori crossed the border (Photo: Herzel Yosef)
"From there they put him in a jeep and took him along the border. They stopped at a few Egyptian checkpoints and then continued until they reached the area of Kerem Shalom. At the crossing we could no longer go north but they continued towards Rafah."
Another Israeli citizen, a 44-year-old mentally ill man is still being held in Egypt. He was detained after crossing over to Egyptian territorial waters while swimming from the Eilat coast.
An inquiry revealed that he was previously returned from Egyptian custody after a similar past occasion.
Less than two months ago, journalist Yotam Feldman returned to Israel after being arrested by Egyptian forces together with a group of African refugees in the Sinai Peninsula area.
