Israel arrests Europeans for espionage

STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- Two European volunteers have been arrested in Israel on suspicion of espionage, the Jerusalem Post reported in its online edition on Thursday.

The Post said the two volunteers at a kibbutz in northern Israel had provided Palestinians with information about Israel.

The two -- a man and a woman -- also "took part in Palestinian riots and disturbances against Israeli security forces," the Post reported.

"I can confirm that a Swedish woman has been arrested, but I do not want to comment on the charges against her," Andreas Ekengren at the Swedish Embassy in Tel Aviv told CNN Sweden.

He said the Israeli authorities had appointed a defence lawyer for the Swedish national, whom he met on Wednesday.

"She is in good condition and we are doing everything we can to help her," Ekengren told CNN Sweden.

Bertil Jobeus at the Swedish Foreign Office in Stockholm told CNN Sweden on Thursday that the two volunteers were accused of being a security threat to Israel but that he had not heard of any specific espionage charges against them.

The Dutch Embassy in Tel Aviv in turn confirmed the arrest of a Dutch national but declined to provide any further information.

The two women were imprisoned in Haifa, northern Israel, on Wednesday, according to the Swedish Embassy.

The Post reported that the women would be deported.

Jerusalem Post Internet Edition
Embassy of Sweden in Tel Aviv

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