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Israel ‘trunk Man’ Found Guilty of Spying; to Be Sentenced Today

September 10, 1965
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Mordechai Luk, who figured in a bizarre Egyptian kidnap attempt in Rome last year, was found guilty today by the Jerusalem District Court on six counts of anti-state activities. Sentence will be pronounced tomorrow, the court indicated. The implication of the verdict was that he had spied for Egypt.

Luk was doped and hidden in a specially-outfitted-trunk by Egyptian agents. Just as Egyptian diplomats were hoisting the trunk to a Cairo-bound plane, Luk regained consciousness and began yelling for help. Police chased the diplomats who were trying to flee from Rome airport and opened the trunk. After his rescue, Luk asked to be returned to Israel, where he was arrested and held on charges of having worked for an enemy country.

He was found guilty today of illegal exit from Israel, transmittal of secret information, conspiracy to provide state secrets to an enemy country, and providing information with intent to aid the enemy.

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