US Embassy Official in Cairo Arrested for Ties With Muslim Brotherhood

Obama Is Being Unfairly Characterized As An Islamic Sympathizer

Haaretz reported:

An Egyptian employee of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo has been detained by local authorities for nearly three weeks without charges, an embassy official said Wednesday.

Ahmed Aleiba, an Egyptian citizen who works at the embassy, was arrested on January 25, the third anniversary of the uprising that deposed former President Hosni Mubarak in 2011, Moufid Deak, spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, said.

“We are trying to learn more about the circumstances of his arrest,” Deak said, adding that the embassy is in touch with Egyptian authorities.

A security official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, confirmed Aleiba’s arrest.

Military-aligned newspaper Al-Watan published an article in July mentioning Aleiba as an employee who arranged meetings between visiting American government officials and Muslim Brotherhood deputy head Khairat el-Shater.

The government has cracked down on the group since former Islamist President Mohammed Morsi was removed from power by a coup in July. Late last year, the Egyptian government declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization.

A State Department spokeswoman in Washington on Wednesday confirmed that embassy officials have been in regular contact with Brotherhood officials, the Washington Post reported.