FM checking reports about detention of Ukrainian in Egypt

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry is checking media reports about the arrest of a Ukrainian citizen in Egypt, who allegedly had an ID of Mujahid Syria.

"We are currently checking this report," the Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Yevhen Perebyinis told Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday morning.

According to media reports, in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on the Red Sea the Egyptian security forces detained a citizen of Ukraine, who had an document identifying his as ‘Mujahid Syria’, as well as Egyptian and foreign military uniforms, signs with the words ‘police’ and black flags with religious inscriptions.

According to the information, the arrested 23-year-old Ukrainian named Rashid lived with his wife in one of the resort residential complexes in Sharm el-Sheikh. He entered Egypt on a tourist visa on May 30 and was to leave the country on July 9.

The Ukrainian was detained after an accident involving his car. The suspect was taken to the hospital with injuries, and when inspecting his car the police found a document issued by Syrian authorities in the name of citizen of Ukraine with his photo, where the official text was crossed over and an inscription "Mujahid, profession – journalist" was made.

The detainee’s wife allegedly admitted that her husband was fighting on the side of rebels in Syria. Egypt’s prosecutor’s office launched an investigation into the matter.