Prosecutors in Mahalla on Tuesday barred Australian journalist Austin Mackell and US student Derek Ludovici from leaving Egypt pending a police investigation.

The pair is accused of paying workers in Mahalla to go on strike and participate in a civil disobedience campaign.

Mackell, Ludovici and their Egyptian translator Alia Elwy were detained in the Nile Delta town on Saturday and released on Tuesday.

Investigations have already revealed that Mackell, who works as a journalist, entered Egypt with a tourist visa and not the required business visa.

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