American held at Cairo Airport with weapons

[Pieter C. 5]

American Held At Cairo Airport With Weapons

 

May 12, 2010

 

An Egyptian-American was arrested at Cairo airport on Tuesday night after arriving on a direct flight from New York carrying two pistols, 250 bullets, two swords and 11 knives in his luggage, airport officials said.

 

It was not immediately clear how Mohamed Ibrahim, a university botany professor teaching in the United States, was able to get through security in New York and board the plane.

 

Ibrahim, who is of Egyptian origin, was detained on accusations of trying to smuggle the arms into the country. It is illegal to import weapons into Egypt without a permit.

 

No other details were available of the New York airport involved or the airline.

 

(Reuters)