Andre Pshenichnikov
Photo: AP
Report: Egypt to extradite 'Israeli spy'
Andre Pshenichnikov, arrested in Egypt last month for alleged espionage, will be extradited, a family friend reports
An Egyptian court decided to extradite Andre Pshenichnikov,
a 24-year-old Israeli citizen who has been held in Sinai for the past month, a friend of Pshenichnikov's family said Saturday. "Andre has been taken to Nuweiba, and now coordinating the extradition is in the hands of Israel," she said.
According to the Foreign Ministry, no official announcement was made on the matter. The ministry further reported that the state has decided to indict Pshenichnikov for infiltration and not for espionage.
Related stories:
- Report: Israeli held in Egypt photographed security sites
- Friends of Israeli held in Egypt insist he's 'a peacenik'
- Egypt: Israeli behaved in suspicious manner
Pshenichnikov was arrested in Egypt on December 28, after crossing the border from Israel without a passport or any official document. His documents were reportedly confiscated before he crossed the border.
According to south Sinai sources, the Israeli national was suspected of taking pictures of security facilities in Taba, the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported.
According to a friend of Pshenichnikov, "Everyone who knows Andre knows he's as far from being a spy as east is from west – he's anti-establishment. I believe that once they realize he's an activist, they'll drop that line of reasoning. He's a sensitive guy; he's not violent."
Attila Somfalvi contributed to this report
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