SDE
An Egyptian man has performed a citizen‘s arrest on a swan, taking it to police on suspicion of being a spy.
The suspected winged infiltrator was taken to a police station in the Qena governorate, 280 miles southeast of Cairo, amid increasing fears over foreign spies. Officials said the man suspected the bird was an undercover agent because it carried an electronic device.
Mohammed Kamal, head of security in Qena, said officials examined the bird and the device, but found neither explosives nor a spying device. It was thought likely to be a wildlife tracker.
With turmoil gripping Egypt, authorities and citizens remain suspicious of anything foreign. Earlier this year, a security guard filed a police report after capturing a pigeon he said carried microfilm reels.
It is not just in Egypt that animals can be detained for spying.
In July, a kestrel was detained in Turkey on suspicion of being an Israeli spy. In 2010, the country’s authorities also faced scrutiny after Egyptian officials claimed they had sent sharks to kill tourists.