The Egyptian security forces have detained 34 Russian students from various countries. The detained also include students from the North Caucasus and other regions of Russia. Students from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, France and the United Kingdom are among the arrested, ITAR-TASS quoted Russian consulate in Cairo. Four of the arrested have been released.
It is known that the arreste were conducted in a gross manner and police confiscated personal belongings and computers during the search. It is not known yet where the students are detained. The diplomats are not able to learn about their health conditions, PRIME TASS reported.
The reason for the arrest is checks into passport and visa documents, which are necessary to stay in the country. "This is what the relatives were told," the Russian consulate said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russian Embassy in Cairo are taking the necessary measures to secure the release of Russian citizens detained in Egypt, ITAR TASS quoted the Foreign Ministry as saying.
The Russian students studying at the Al Azhar University sent a statement to the Russian diplomatic mission that overnight to May 27, police broke into the apartments the students had rented, and detained more than 30 people. The list of the detainees is being finalized. The authorities did not offer any explanations.
The ministry said the arrested also include students from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, France, the United Kingdom and Denmark. "Cairo says the law enforcement agencies aimed to check lawfulness of students' stay in the country," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
A note was forwarded to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry asking it to clarify the situation and release information on the whereabouts of the Russian citizens. "We contacted a lawyer and an interpreter. We're doing everything to unblock the situation and resolve the issue of the release of the Russians in the shortest possible time," the official said.