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US citizen held by Egypt in secret location with no charges
Jeremy Hodge (r) has been detained in a secret location
by Joseph Earnest January 24, 2014
Newscast Media CAIRO—Egyptian state security services have been holding US citizen Jeremy Hodge and Egyptian filmmaker Hossam Meneai, originally from El Arish, in a secret location without charges since Wednesday 22 January. The two have not been allowed to meet with a lawyer nor has Hodge been allowed a visit by US embassy staff.
The Egypt Independent reports that around 7pm before their arrest, security forces came to their Dokki apartment and began asking questions about Meneai's film work and Hodge's Arabic.
Meneai, 36, is a freelance documentary filmmaker and Hodge, 26, is a freelance journalist and translator, who recently worked for Transparency International and also worked with Daily News Egypt.
Sources from the Dokki police station said that the detainees were monitored for days before 12 officers arrived at their apartment to take them into custody.
According to the New York Times, the recent spike in anti-American hysteria seemed to reach a peak this month when a journalist and former member of Parliament, Mostafa Bakry, claimed in a tirade on Egyptian television that intelligence sources told him that President Obama was plotting to assassinate General Sisi. In that event, Mr. Bakry said, the Egyptian people would rise up in vengeance and "slaughter Americans in the streets."
Video of Egyptian journalist Mostafa Bakry claiming that intelligence sources told him of a plot by President Obama to assassinate Egypt’s aspiring presidential candidate General Sisi.
The two captives' friends said that Mr. Meneai recently produced a documentary about Egyptian Coptic Christians for Russian state television and Mr. Hodge has done translations for the Berlin-based Transparency International. The United States Embassy in Cairo is reportedly working to gain access to Mr. Hodge, a Los Angeles native.
In a phone call with Egypt Independent, Hodge's mother Lisa de Moraes in Los Angeles stressed particular concern for her son as he is asthmatic and left his inhaler and allergy medication at home when he was arrested.
Nizar Manek, the pair's British roommate returned to the apartment Friday evening to retrieve the medication only to find his key no longer worked and the door bore scratch marks around the lock, leading to believe the apartment had been raided.
The reason behind the arrest is unclear as neither of the two have any political affiliations, nor have they participated in any recent protests. Add Comments>>
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