Cairo, May 30 (IANS) An Iranian diplomat who worked at a special bureau in Egyptian capital Cairo and was arrested on charges of spying was deported Monday, state news agency MENA reported.
Sayyed Qassem al-Husseini was arrested in al-Mohandssen district of Cairo Saturday, Xinhua reported citing the official Al-Akhbar newspaper.
The report said al-Husseini was gathering and sending Tehran economic, political and military intelligence reports on Egypt.
He was part of a spy network that was trying to recruit agents in Arab countries, officials said.
Al-Husseini was released after questioning following the Egyptian foreign ministry’s confirmation of his diplomatic status. He left for Dubai Monday.
Egypt and Iran have no diplomatic relations since 1979, when Cairo signed a peace treaty with Israel and offered asylum to Iran’s deposed last shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
However, there is a special Iranian interests section in Cairo where al-Husseini worked.
