https://arab.news/9325x
- Camoccio, 51, was reportedly arrested at the country’s Hurghada International Airport
- Egyptian officials say that Camoccio was caught on CCTV
LONDON: A petition has been set up demanding the release of a British businessman arrested in Egypt accused of sexual assault after “patting a male airport security guard on the back.”
The online petition on change.org calling for Tony Camoccio to be released had reached 4,000 signatures by Friday.
Camoccio, 51, was reportedly arrested at the country’s Hurghada International Airport on Feb. 8 during a security check while traveling back to the UK after a holiday with his wife and some friends.
The British man’s relatives and friends says he is being falsely accused of sexual assault, and claim he merely patted the security officer.
The description of the petition reads: “At customs in Hurghada airport on his outbound journey, (Tony) was at final checkpoint where he was, as a standard procedure for all outbound passengers, patted down by a security officer.
“Tony then gently patted the officer’s back, and is now facing serious accusations.
“He was held in a general population cell overnight where he remained in handcuffs, petrified for his life as he did not know what he was supposedly being charged with or what he had done wrong.
“His basic human rights were being abused and these are false accusations.”
Egyptian officials say that Camoccio was caught on CCTV making sexual gestures at the officer.
“We checked with the police surveillance system – the passenger molested the police officer who was checking him at security. When this was investigated, they checked CCTV and saw that what the policeman said is true,” said Samia Mossad, a manager at the airport.
The UK’s Foreign Office confirmed it was in contact with Camoccio’s family and the relevant authorities in Egypt.