An Emory spokeswoman said late Monday the university is working to provide assistance to the family of a third-year law student and U.S.-born Israeli arrested in Egypt on spy charges.
Ilan Grapel, 27, was detained Sunday at a hotel in Cairo. The semiofficial Egyptian daily Al-Ahram identified him as a "Mossad officer who tried to sabotage the Egyptian revolution."
Grapel, is "an active member of the Emory Law community," spokeswoman Elaine Justice said. He was nominated for an outstanding student worker award by the MacMillan Law Library and is involved in the school's pro bono program.
His mother, Irene Grapel, told Israel Army Radio he arrived in Cairo in May to work as an intern for a legal aid group that helps resettle refugees. But prosecutors in Egypt accuse him of "[inciting] the protesters to acts of riot."
Grapel spoke to his mother earlier Monday, assuring her "he is not being mistreated."
The charges are "so bogus," Irene Grapel said in an interview with AP Television News. "He is not a Mossad spy."
Emory colleagues agreed, saying Grapel was open about his connections to Israel, including past military service.
"I don't think a Mossad agent would post things on Facebook, travel under his own name and get a grant from law school to travel," Emory law student Rebecca Peskin said. "This is a big misunderstanding."
Another classmate said Grapel, whom the Egyptian government claims arrived in Cairo in January, has an alibi.
"He was regularly in classes," Will Felder told the AP by email. "The only length of time we were not in school together would have been spring break, and he was in [New York] with his family."
Felder described Grapel as "very liberal, very open-minded" and "pro-conciliation." He said he was not affiliated with any political groups.
Yigal Palmor, a spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry, said Egyptian authorities have not officially informed Israel about the arrest. In other cases, official notification has lagged behind newspaper reports, he said.
Grapel's arrest has sparked concern in Israel that relations with Egypt will suffer now that longtime president and ally Hosni Mubarak has been deposed.
Diplomats were working to make sure Grapel is "treated fairly under local law" and maintains communication with family and friends in the United States, according to the spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.
--The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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