Egyptian police announced today they have arrested five men and one woman, all Jews, on charges of “Communist activities and espionage for Israel,” a report from Cairo says.
The Egyptian Government announcement said the accused were “Communists” employed by Israel. It alleged that the accused helped Jews come from Arab countries into Israel, where they were allegedly trained in espionage and returned to Arab states in the capacity of “Communist propagandists and spies.”
This most obvious attempt of the Egyptian Government to link Israel with Communism is being looked upon in British circles here as another maneuver on the part of Egypt to fortify its stand on the trial of the 13 Jews now being charged in Cairo with “Zionist espionage.” The trial, which provoked much criticism, is considered a crude move on the part of the Egyptian authorities to misdirect the dissatisfaction of the population by shifting attention to the Israel issue.
Simultaneously, with receipt of the report about the six arrests, word came here today from Cairo that an Egyptian “People’s Tribunal” has sentenced five Egyptian army officers and enlisted men to death by a firing squad. The death sentences were reportedly imposed upon the men for their part in the Moslem Brotherhood plot against the government. Cairo messages received here also report that about 200 members of the Moslem Brotherhood have been jailed since the recent attempt upon the life of Premier Nasser.
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