Israeli detained in Egypt after crossing border with bullets

An Israeli man was released from an Egyptian jail Saturday evening, a day after he was arrested at the border with a weapons magazine in his car.

The man was released after 30 hours in custody and fined an unspecified amount.

The Foreign Ministry credited the Israeli embassy in Cairo with negotiating his release.

With universal military draft, Israeli tourists on occasion get caught inadvertently carrying bullets or other army gear in their luggage when they travel abroad.

In 2017, half a dozen Israelis traveling to Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Egypt were detained by local authorities for traveling with bullets in their bags.

In October, Israeli tourist Nir Itach was briefly detained in Egypt after bullets were found in a backpack that belonged to his brother when he was in the army. Itach was released after several hours in custody, fined around $140, and banned from entering Egypt for seven days.

Last week, a court in Azerbaijan ruled that an Israeli man who was detained last month at the Baku airport with five bullets in his luggage could return home.

The Foreign Ministry confirmed that Eliahu Avraham, who had been held in Azerbaijan since early January, would have to pay an unspecified fine for the offense.

After confirming Avram’s release, the Foreign Ministry said an increasing number of Israelis were getting caught traveling with ammunition, and urged tourists to double check their bags before leaving the country.

“Bringing weapons into a foreign country, even by accident, is illegal under local law and leads to detention in the best case and criminal proceedings in the worst case,” the ministry said in a tweet.

The Foreign ministry said it was still working to secure the release of Israeli Dalia Haddad, who was arrested late February at Baku airport with bullets in her luggage. She had brought along the bag of her daughter — an IDF soldier.