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Friday, September 17, 2010

Report: Egypt arrests senior Hamas official in Cairo

Palestine Press Agency and PalVoice, both Fatah mouthpieces, are quoting Egyptian security forces that Egypt has arrested a senior Hamas official at Cairo International Airport.

The Hamas member is Mohamed Debabeche, known as "Abu Radwan", the commander of the General Security Service who reports to Hamas interior minister Fathi Mohammed.

The sources linked his arrest with the recent discovery of large shipments of secure radio equipment that were being smuggled to Hamas in Gaza. The equipment was worth millions of dollars.

UPDATE: The news of Debabeche's arrest is prompting some Egyptian groups to re-open the investigation into the killing of an Egyptian guard Ahmed Shaaban by a Hamas sniper last January during demonstrations to support George Galloway's Viva Palestina convoy. Debabeche had blocked attempts by Egypt to extradite the killer.