The Italian police caught an Egyptian suspect hiding inside a shipping container, trying to flee the country for Canada to escape fraud charges in Egypt, reports said.
Ahmad Farid Rizk, 43, was arrested on suspicion of terrorism, a federal government official said.
According to the unnamed official source, the Italian investigation is leading away from a terrorist connection to allegations of a desperate man fleeing criminal accusations in Egypt.
The source was quoted by The Gazette as saying that “the Italians will probably conclude their investigation next week and it's not going to be what it looked like at the outset."
Egypt is taking steps to have Rizk extradited to face charges he was involved in a cheque-bouncing scam, the source said.
Italian police arrested Rizk last month and held him under Italy's new anti-terrorism law after finding him in possession of a curious list of documents and electronic equipment – Albawaba.com
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