SPY SPANDAL INVOLVING CANADA, EGYPT, AND ISRAEL

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 000336 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/07/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR PTER MEPN EG IS CA SUBJECT: SPY SPANDAL INVOLVING CANADA, EGYPT, AND ISRAEL UNDERSCORES TENSIONS IN EGYPTIAN-ISRAELI RELATIONS CLASSIFIED BY DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION STUART JONES FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) A SPY SCANDAL INVOLVING AN EGYPTIAN-CANADIAN CITIZEN AND THREE ISRAELIS BECAME PUBLIC ON FEBRUARY 4. STATE SECURITY ARRESTED AN EGYPTIAN-CANADIAN IN JANUARY WHEN HE RETURNED TO CAIRO ON A FAMILY VISIT FOR SPYING ON EGYPTIAN CITIZENS IN TURKEY AND CANADA ON BEHALF OF ISRAEL. CANADIAN EMBASSY CONTACTS SAY THEY HAVE NOT GAINED CONSULAR ACCESS AS OF FEBRUARY 6. EGYPTIAN MEDIA IS ABUZZ WITH SPECULATION ON THE CASE, BUT IT IS UNCLEAR WHETHER THE CASE WILL AFFECT EGYPT'S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL. END SUMMARY. -------------- NEWS BREAKS OF EGYPTIAN ARREST -------------- ¶2. (SBU) ON FEBRUARY 4, NEWS EMERGED THAT EGYPT HAD ARRESTED MOHAMED ESSAM AL ATTAR, AN EGYPTIAN-BORN CANADIAN CITIZEN ACCUSED OF SPYING FOR ISRAEL, AS HE SOUGHT TO ENTER LEGALLY INTO EGYPT IN EARLY JANUARY. PRESS STORIES ANNOUNCED THAT EGYPT ALSO REQUESTED INTERPOL TO ARREST THREE NAMED ISRAELI "INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS" WHOM THE GOE BELIEVES RECRUITED ATTAR TO SPY FOR ISRAEL. MEDIA STORIES SAY ATTAR FLED EGYPT OVER FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES BACK IN 2001, WAS RECRUITED BY ISRAELI AGENTS IN TURKEY, AND SPIED ON EGYPTIAN DIPLOMATS AND CITIZENS IN TURKEY AND IN CANADA, AFTER HE MOVED THERE. ATTAR WAS REPORTEDLY A UNIVERSITY DROP-OUT, AND HAD FLED EGYPT TO AVOID A LAWSUIT OVER PAYMENT FOR A WRECKED RENTAL CAR. ACCORDING TO OTHER PRESS REPORTS, ATTAR WAS A TROUBLED INDIVIDUAL, RAISED BY HIS MOTHER, AND ESTRANGED FROM HIS FATHER - HIMSELF A RETIRED AIR FORCE PILOT AND SON OF A PROMINENT AL AZHAR MOSQUE FIGURE. MEMBERS OF THE FATHER'S FAMILY HAVE GIVEN INTERVIEWS IN WHICH THEY SEEK TO CLEAR THE ATTAR FAMILY NAME. A TRIAL FOR ATTAR WILL REPORTEDLY COMMENCE ON FEBRUARY 11, ACCORDING TO ATTAR'S LEGAL COUNSEL, RAGAB AL ASSAL. -------------- CANADA WAITING FOR CONSULAR ACCESS -------------- ¶3. (C) CANADIAN EMBASSY DCM CHRIS HALL TOLD EMBOFF CANADA WAS BLINDSIDED BY THE NEWS, AND HAD NOT GAINED CONSULAR ACCESS TO ATTAR AS OF FEBRUARY 6, DESPITE REPEATED REQUESTS TO THE GOE. HALL STATED THAT ATTAR WAS GRANTED CANADIAN CITIZENSHIP IN NOVEMBER 2006, AND WAS ISSUED A PASSPORT TWO WEEKS LATER ("THIS IS INCREDIBLY FAST FOR OUR SYSTEM," HALL ADDED). ATTAR HAD LEGALLY CHANGED HIS NAME IN CANADA, HE NOTED, AND THE PICTURE IN THE EGYPTIAN PAPERS LOOKS TO BE THE ONE FROM HIS CANADIAN PASSPORT. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶4. (C) THERE HAS BEEN EXTENSIVE SPECULATION REGARDING THE TIMING OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF ATTAR'S ARREST. ALTHOUGH HE WAS ARRESTED IN EARLY JANUARY, THE EGYPTIANS ANNOUNCED IT ONLY ON FEBRUARY 4. THIS COULD BE AN EFFORT TO DEFLECT ATTENTION FROM THE ALLEGATION THAT THE EILAT SUICIDE BOMBER (JANUARY 29) ENTERED ISRAEL FROM GAZA, VIA EGYPT. THE EGYPTIANS ARE ALSO SENSITIVE TO NEWS REPORTS FROM ISRAEL THAT THEY ARE SHIPPING WEAPONS INTO GAZA. RICCIARDONE