Egypt sentences 2 Israelis to 25 years in prison for spying

CAIRO

An Egyptian court on Sunday condemned three defendants – including two Israelis in absentia – to 25 years in prison after finding them guilty of espionage for Israel's military intelligence agency (Aman).

Al-Arish Criminal Court sentenced an Egyptian national and two Israelis – one of whom is a member of Aman – to 25-year imprisonment over charges of espionage for Israel during the period between August 2011 and February 2014, a judicial source has said.

The source noted that court verdict is preliminary and is subject to appeal.

Egypt and Israel remained in a state of cold peace despite the drafting of a landmark peace treaty in 1979. Israel, which had seized the Sinai Peninsula for six years prior to the 1973 war, is still seen in an overwhelming negative light in Egyptian public opinion.