Egyptian-American Arrested At Airport ON NGOs Case

An Egyptian-American man who was among those charged in a case against employees of several foreign non-governmental organizations was detained upon arrival in Cairo, the Interior Ministry said in a faxed statement.

Sherif Mansour was among the 43 NGO employees who were being tried on grounds that the organizations were operating without the necessary local licenses, the ministry said late yesterday. The case, which began in February and included 16 Americans, strained relations between Egypt and the U.S.

Egyptian authorities had issued arrest orders for the defendants, who included Sam LaHood, the son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. Most of the Americans were abroad at the time of the trial and the six who were in the country were allowed to leave after posting bail, according to Bloomberg.