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Israel

Grapel flies home to freedom after Israel-Egypt swap

November 24, 2016 22:33
Ilan Grapel

ByJennifer Lipman, Jennifer Lipman

1 min read

An American law student who had been held as a Mossad spy in Egypt since June is on his way to freedom.

Ilan Grapel has been released by the Egyptian authorities in return for 25 prisoners who were being held in Israeli jails. He is being flown to Israel in the company of two Israeli Knesset members, who reported that he appeared fine and was smiling.

Mr Grapel, 27, has joint Israeli and American citizenship and grew up in New York but also served in the IDF, including during the second Lebanon war.

He was arrested in Cairo and has been held since without charge. His family denied that he was a spy and said that he was working for an NGO when he was detained