Authorities in the United States have detained an Egyptian-American man from New York on suspicion of working illegally for the Egyptian government to search down “political opponents” of Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Pierre Girgis, 39, was taken into custody by the US Justice Department on Thursday, according to the US Justice Department.
Girgis faces charges of plotting to operate as a foreign agent and operating as a foreign agent without alerting the US attorney general’s office, which each carry a maximum sentence of five and ten years in prison, respectively.
“Foreign agents are needed to register with our government for a good reason – they frequently operate in their home country’s interests rather than the interests of the United States,” said Michael J Driscoll, assistant director-in-charge of the FBI’s New York field office.
“We argue that Mr. Girgis returned non-public material to Egypt for the Egyptian government’s benefit.” Mr. Girgis violated our laws, and we must prosecute him.”
Girgis gathered information on Egyptian dissidents “under the direction and control of several officials” in Egypt, according to the Justice Department. According to the department, the suspected activities occurred between 2014 and 2019.
“At the request of Egyptian officials, Girgis allegedly engaged in prohibited conduct such as attempting to covertly gather non-public intelligence about the activities of political opponents of Egypt’s president, and attempting to gain access for foreign officials to attend law enforcement-only trainings in Manhattan,” according to US Attorney Damian Williams. On Thursday, the Egyptian embassy in Washington, DC did not respond to a request for comment.
The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), enacted in 1938, mandates that people acting in the United States on behalf of foreign governments register with the Justice Department and publicly report their political activities on a regular basis.
The United States and Egypt have strong connections, with Washington providing $1.3 billion in military aid to Cairo each year and top US officials praising Egypt’s leadership for its role in the Middle East.
However, US President Joe Biden has been criticised for not doing enough to pressure Egypt to protect human rights.
Since taking power in a 2013 coup, rights groups accuse el-administration Sisi’s of imprisoning thousands of dissidents and prohibiting nearly all forms of political dissent. The Egyptian president, on the other hand, denies harbouring political detainees and claims that his government is battling “terrorist.”
Biden had promised to prioritise human rights in US foreign policy, and he promised “no more blank checks to [Donald] Trump’s ‘favourite dictator,'” referring to el-Sisi, before the 2020 elections.
However, since taking office, Biden’s administration has stated that it is working to enhance the US-Egypt relationship.
Due to human rights concerns, Biden withheld $130 million of the $1.3 billion in annual aid to Egypt, while rights groups had sought for at least $300 million to be suspended.
“This option would have been straightforward if the administration’s dedication to human rights was sincere: withhold the $300 million in military aid as conditioned by Congress to compel al-Sisi to alter direction,” a coalition of groups said in September.
