'Ilan Grapel claimed he is Muslim in visa request to Egypt'

Probe on alleged Mossad spy reveals he tried to get info on Hamas-Fatah unity deal and how Egyptian public feels about it, 'al-Ahram' reports.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Alleged Mossad spy Ilan Grapel claimed he was a Muslim in the visa request he submitted to the Egyptian Embassy in Tel Aviv, the Egyptian newspaper al-Ahram reported Thursday.
The report also said that Grapel tried to gather information on the reconciliation agreement between Hamas and Fatah, signed in Cairo, and on the feeling toward the agreement within the Egyptian public.
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According to al-Ahram, an interrogation of Grapel revealed that the Mossad asked him to "penetrate" all political parties and organizations, especially the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafist parties, and find out what the situation in Egypt would be like if the Muslim Brotherhood ruled and what impact this would have on Israeli-Egyptian relations and on relations between Iran and Egypt.
Grapel reportedly sent the Mossad documents and images over the internet from several cafes in Cairo, but did not send anything from his hotel room in order to mislead authorities and to maintain secrecy. He also tried to recruit Egyptians to rise up against the Army, al-Ahram said echoing earlier Egyptian reports.
The report added that Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Elaraby refused to meet with the Israeli consul in Cairo and instead sent a foreign ministry official to meet him.
Egyptian state prosecutors are expected to decide next week whether to send Grapel to a criminal trial after his interrogation ends, the report said.
On Wednesday, another report by Egyptian media said Grapel denied all charges he was working for the Mossad and told Egyptian investigators that information that he had sent through the internet did not include sensitive information about Egypt.
According to a report by Al Masry Al Youm, Grapel told Egyptian authorities that he had sent emails to family and friends as reassurance during the uprising in Egypt and that information passed on did not include any secrets from Egypt.
Grapel, who holds dual American-Israeli citizenship, was arrested in Cairo on Sunday for allegedly spying on behalf of Israel.