CAIRO – Egyptian authorities detained an Iranian diplomat yesterday on charges of spying. Sayyed Kassem al-Husseini, who worked at the Iranian Embassy in Cairo, is accuses of spying for a foreign country and in turn harming the national security of Egypt. A judicial source told Youm7 the defendant is being held for questioning and was detained with spying equipment that is prohibited from entering Egypt. The source showed he was gathering economic, political and military information on Egypt and a number of Gulf States and sending the information to Tehran. A security source said the diplomat will soon be arrested. The source said it is unclear whether Husseini was part of a spy network or was trying to recruit Egyptians to join the network. According to the source, authorities are now questioning the defendant and the results will be announced within days. It said the prosecution has enough evidence against the defendant. The incident could strain tensions between Cairo and Tehran, who were aiming to improve bilateral relations after Egypt's January 25 Revolution. Under now-deposed Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, a close ally of the United States friendly with Israel, Egypt and Iran had vied for influence in the Middle East. In April, Egypt's foreign minister, Nabil al-Arabi , said Egypt was open to re-establishing diplomatic relations with Iran. It was a major policy shift from the Mubarak regime. In February, after Mubarak's resignation, two Iranian warships passed through the Suez Canal with approval from Egypt's ruling military council. It was the first such crossing since the Iranian revolution. Israel called the move a provocation.
