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When Egyptian authorities arrested Azam in Cairo six months ago, they alleged that he worked for Israeli intelligence and had passed on state secrets.

Azam, who has been jailed since his arrest, denied all the charges on Thursday of last week, and Israel has also denied he was a spy.

The Israeli Embassy in Cairo issued a statement demanding Azam's release. But Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, during a joint news conference in March with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said he could not intervene in the matter.