A 27-year-old student from Hollis Hills was arrested in Egypt over the weekend and accused of being an Israeli spy who "tried to sabotage the Egyptian revolution," according to reports. Ilan Grapel is currently detained in Egypt, though his parents and friends insist that he's no spy.
Grapel is a law student at Emory University and took a break from his studies to fly to Egypt to volunteer with a refugee organization last month. He also appears to be something of a Mideast buff, having volunteered as a paratrooper with the Israeli army and taken Arabic lessons. Egyptian authorities claim Grapel actually arrived in January, and accuse him of "inciting sedition, spreading rumors, and kindling frictions between protesters and the military that now rules the country."
Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman said today that Grapel "has no connection to any intelligence agency, not in Israel, not in the U.S. and not on Mars," and called out Egypt for their "bizarre behavior." A Facebook page calling on Egypt to "Release Ilan Grapel" has been set up, with notes from Grapel's friends insisting upon his innocence. The State Department has been granted access to Grapel and is carrying out a full investigation, CNN reports.
