“Joseph Dahan,” the man rescued from shipment to Egypt inside a trunk bearing a seal claiming it contained Egyptian diplomatic mail, admitted to newspapermen here today that he had been working for the Egyptian secret service. He told of his claimed status at a press conference at police headquarters.
According to “Dahan.” he had come to Rome to discuss with the Egyptians “future conditions of work,” presumably involving the payment he would receive. He said that no agreement had been made on the “conditions” and, to win time, he told the Egyptians he was “ready to return to Cairo.” It was after that conference, he said, that he had been drugged in preparation for the attempt to abduct him.
Italian police reported today that “Dahan” told them he had worked as an informer for an Egyptian organization and got into trouble because he had asked for more money. Police said “Dahan” told them he was given a choice of dropping out of the “organization” or being sent to Cairo “to talk to the boss.” He said he had the impression “dropping out” might mean his death.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.