Date : 01/05/2012
CAIRO, May 1 (KUNA) -- Egypt dismissed Tuesday reports claiming that Saudi
Ambassador in Cairo Ahmad Al-Qattan had come under assassination attempt in
this north African country.
Egypt's official news agency, MENA, quoted an official source as billing
such reports as "totally divorced from reality", saying that the Saudi
ambassador in Cairo had never come under assassination attempt since he took
over as the top Saudi diplomat in Egypt.
London-based Al-Hayat daily cited Tuesday a Saudi diplomat as saying that
Egyptian security organs had arrested an Iranian cell involved in attempting
to assassinate the Saudi ambassador.
Earlier on Saturday, Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador from Egypt and
closed its embassy and consulates there following protests over a detained
Egyptian human rights lawyer.
Hundreds of Egyptians have rallied outside the Saudi Embassy in Cairo this
week, calling on Riyadh to free Ahmed el-Gezawi, who was detained in Saudi
Arabia for having allegedly tried to smuggle illegal drugs into the kingdom.
Egypt has been trying to defuse the problem with Riyadh as its military
ruler Hussein Tantawi contacted Saudi officials in this respect. (end)
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