Egypt's Supreme State Security Court publicized here Monday the findings of its ruling in the case of Mohamed el-Attar, along with three co-defendants, who was found guilty of spying for Israel.

The official MENA news agency quoted the court as saying that Attar had confessed to the crime under the psychological suffering of his sins and to make up for his mistakes and repent.

Attar had been sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined 10,000 Egyptian pounds (about 1,757 U.S. dollars), said MENA, adding he appeared at the court to hear the sentence, while the three Israeli co-defendants received the same sentence in absentia.

According to the court, Attar, 31, started spying for Israel in Turkey and continued this practice after he emigrated to Canada some time after 2002 in order to spy on Arabs in Toronto for the Israeli secret service agency, known as Mossad.

An Iraqi residing in Turkey and an Egyptian policeman at the Egyptian Embassy to Turkey had reported to the embassy that Attar had tried to contact them to collaborate with the Mossad.

Attar was arrested in Cairo on the New Year's Day of 2007 during a trip to visit his family in Egypt on charges of bribery, espionage and conspiring to "harm Egypt's national interests."

When the convict was arrested at Cairo International Airport upon his arrival, he thought it was because of not completing his military service, said the court ruling, adding he was surprised by the Egyptian security agencies' being aware of his ties with Mossad.

For two days he kept denying ties with the Israeli intelligence agencies, but later he gave full confession of his collaboration with the Mossad, according to the court ruling.

Source: Xinhua