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Egypt police arrest Israeli who crossed border into Sinai

24 April 2010 21:08 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA.Egyptian police said on Saturday that they arrested an Israeli who illegally crossed into the Sinai peninsula on a motorbike, APA reports quoting Haaretz.com cite.

The police officers said the 36-year-old Israeli set off a police chase when he rode into the Sinai. Police are questioning him, but said he might have strayed into Egypt accidentally.

One of the sources said the man, named as 36 year-old Sagi Meir Fakhouri, was seized while crossing the barbed wire that marks the border.

An Israel Defense Forces spokesman confirmed that an Israeli citizen
had crossed the border into Egypt. He declined to give further details.

The reason for his entering Egypt was being investigated with Israeli authorities, the source added.

The Israeli embassy in Cairo said it was looking into the report.

The police officers said they could not be identified by name because of
security regulations.

Egypt has a long, porous border with Israel that is poorly fenced in places and in some parts unmarked altogether.

African migrants frequently try to cross into Israel in search of work.

In March, Egypt held Israeli journalist Yotan Feldman for a week after he entered the country and tried to track the movement of African migrants seeking work or asylum in Israel.