Hamas: Official falsely accused by Egypt

Spokesman says senior Hamas official arrested for smuggling in Cairo falsely accused; operative was recently official guest in Egypt.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS, JPOST.COM STAFF
security barrier 311 (photo credit: Courtesy)
security barrier 311
(photo credit: Courtesy)
GAZA CITY — A senior security official arrested in Egypt was falsely accused of posing a threat to Egyptian security, according to a Hamas spokesman in Gaza on Tuesday.
In Hamas' first reaction to the arrest, the spokesman denied that Mohammed Dababish was involved in smuggling. He said the arrest was surprising because Dababish participated in talks meant to reconcile rival Palestinian factions a few months ago as an official guest in Egypt.
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Dababish, an official in Hamas' internal security unit, was arrested in Cairo on Sunday when his name showed up on a wanted list for using falsified travel documents to enter and leave the country. He was also questioned about an illegal shipment of walkie-talkies destined for Gaza, according to Egyptian officials. 
According to Dababish's relatives, he was returning from a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia when he was arrested.
The arrest comes as Egyptian security forces were on high alert in the Sinai Peninsula bordering Gaza and Israel because of information about possible a Palestinian rocket attack from Egypt toward Israel.
The officials said hundreds of police and private agents have been deployed along the border, at entry points to Sinai and along checkpoints.
Egyptian officials have blamed Hamas for a deadly rocket attack last month on Israel and Jordan's Red Sea port of Aqaba that killed one person and wounded four.