'Mentally disturbed' Egyptian storms Israel airline Cairo office: Reports

Ahram Online, Wednesday 12 Sep 2012

Man described by security sources as 'mentally disturbed' tries to break into Cairo office of Israeli national carrier El Al, Egyptian state media reports on Wednesday

Cairo
File photo: Tourists wait for their flight, as an Egyptair plane is seen, background, at a waiting hall in Cairo's international airport, in Egypt. (Photo: AP)

An Egyptian national was arrested at the Cairo International Airport after attempting to break into the branch office of Israeli national carrier El Al, Al-Ahram's Arabic-language news website reported on Wednesday.

According to security sources, the perpetrator, 30-year-old Mostafa Abdel-Latif, is "mentally disturbed." The same sources say Abdel-Latif mumbled incomprehensibly during subsequent interrogations.

Abdel-Latif, who reportedly works at a medical unit in Egypt's remote Al-Wadi Al-Gedid (New Valley) Governorate, reportedly said during questioning that he wanted to visit Al-Quds (Jerusalem) to pray at the city's holy Al-Aqsa Mosque.

In Egypt, perpetrators of crimes of a political nature are frequently described by authorities as being "mentally disturbed."

In 1999, an individual who approached former president Hosni Mubarak's motorcade in the city of Port Said was killed on the spot in what was later chalked up to a failed assassination attempt. At the time, the man – El-Sayed Hassan Soliman – was described by authorities as "mentally disturbed."

In recent years, people alleged to be "mentally disturbed" have also been blamed for acts of sectarian violence between Egypt's Muslims and Copts.

However, Ahmed Mahmoud, head of Cairo airport security, completely denied the incident Wednesday, even though it was reported by state-owned newspaper Akhbar Al-Youm and other privately-owned Egyptian newspapers.

El Al's representatives in Cairo were not available for comment on Wednesday.

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