Egypt Arrests Briton on Suspicion of Spying

A 19-year-old British man has been arrested in Egypt on suspicion of spying, his family told the BBC on Friday.

Muhammad Abul-Kasem, 19, was detained in the northern port city of Alexandria on his arrival from Libya on November 21, the report said.

The British Foreign Office said it was "seeking more information from the Egyptian authorities following the arrest of a British person in Alexandria, as well as permission for consular access".

The statement made no reference to the spying allegations.

Abul-Kasem's family said he was detained after the authorities found a photograph of a military aircraft on his mobile phone.

The family explained that Abul-Kasem took the picture from his plane's window as it came in to land in Alexandria.

The report comes on the heels of a row between Britain and the United Arab Emirates over the life sentence the Gulf state handed British academic Matthew Hedges last week.

Hedges was pardoned and allowed to return to his family on Tuesday following strong diplomatic pressure from London.