Egypt deports 10 European suspects of Islamist group

CAIRO, Dec 7 (Reuters) Egypt deported to Europe today eight French and two Belgian students accused of belonging to a secret Islamist group trying to recruit people to fight in Iraq, airport sources said.

The students, who were studying Arabic and Islamic religious sciences in Cairo left on a commercial plane bound for Brussels via the southern Egyptian town of Luxor, they said.

They were part of a group detained by Egyptian police about two weeks ago. It includes another French person, an American and some Tunisians and Syrians, the Interior Ministry said.

The Egyptian authorities are looking for five Egyptians they suspect have links with the group, police sources said. Most of the Europeans were of North African origin, they added.

The Interior Ministry said the Islamists were in touch with what it called international terrorist groups.

But the Interior Ministry did not say that police found any weapons or explosives in their possession or that the group was itself planning any acts of violence. None of them has yet been charged with any offences, judicial sources said.

REUTERS PDM BD2014