An Egyptian lawyer denied charges of spying for Israel Saturday as he went on trial before the emergency High State Security Court, three months after his arrest in the Pyramids district of southern Cairo.
Walid Ahmed Lotfi Hashem, 29, who appeared in the dock in white prison clothes, denied the charges, telling the judge: "That didn't happen."
The court rejected a defence request for bail and adjourned the trial until February 28, when it is due to hear evidence from the prosecution.
Members of Hashem's family were present at the 90-minute hearing, which was attended by both the Egyptian and international media.
Prosecutors called on the court to impose the maximum 15-year jail sentence following Hashem's arrest in a cafe on October 23 after an alleged meeting with a representative of the Israeli embassy.
He is charged with "trying to spy and deliver information to a foreign state, namely Israel, that could damage national interests, and of contacting the Israeli embassy in Cairo several times to offer his services in the provision of significant information."
The chief prosecutor said he himself had witnessed a confession by Hashem in which he had admitted having telephoned the Israeli embassy in Cairo several times to offer his co-operation.
The accused said he had sought 2,500 dollars for further information, added prosecutor Sameh Abu Zeid.
The emergency High State Security Court was founded in 1981 and its verdicts cannot be appealed.
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