Wael Aboulmagd, special representative of the Cop27 presidency, says he feels some nations were trying to distract for the 'existential' nature of the summit. Reuters
Wael Aboulmagd, special representative of the Cop27 presidency, says he feels some nations were trying to distract for the 'existential' nature of the summit. Reuters
Wael Aboulmagd, special representative of the Cop27 presidency, says he feels some nations were trying to distract for the 'existential' nature of the summit. Reuters
Wael Aboulmagd, special representative of the Cop27 presidency, says he feels some nations were trying to distract for the 'existential' nature of the summit. Reuters

Egypt says reports it spied on Cop27 delegates are 'ludicrous'


Hamza Hendawi
  • English
  • Arabic

Reports quoting unnamed German sources that Egypt is spying on delegates at the UN climate summit are “ludicrous”, a senior Egyptian government official said on Monday.

The special envoy of the summit’s Egyptian presidency, Wael Aboulmagd, also said some delegates from developing nations suspect the reports are whipped up as a distraction by rich nations trying to backtrack on their commitments.

Reuters, citing three sources, reported that German federal police had told their nation's delegation at the summit that its members may be subject to spying by Egyptian security agents.

  • A man wears a face mask that reads "no climate justice without human rights" during a protest at the COP27 UN Climate Summit in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. AP
    A man wears a face mask that reads "no climate justice without human rights" during a protest at the COP27 UN Climate Summit in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. AP
  • A presentation at the American University in Cairo Pavilion. Reuters
    A presentation at the American University in Cairo Pavilion. Reuters
  • Egyptian artist Bahia Sheha stands inside her installation "Heaven & Hell in the Anthropocene." AFP
    Egyptian artist Bahia Sheha stands inside her installation "Heaven & Hell in the Anthropocene." AFP
  • Akihiro Nishimura, minister of the environment of Japan, reviews notes with others at the COP27. AP
    Akihiro Nishimura, minister of the environment of Japan, reviews notes with others at the COP27. AP
  • US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, right, and Xie Zhenhua, China's special envoy for climate greet each other at the COP27 UN Climate Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. AP
    US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, right, and Xie Zhenhua, China's special envoy for climate greet each other at the COP27 UN Climate Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. AP
  • Brazilian president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva poses for a group photograph with representatives of his country's indigenous people. AFP
    Brazilian president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva poses for a group photograph with representatives of his country's indigenous people. AFP
  • People attend the COP27 UN Climate Summit in Sharm El-Sheikh. EPA
    People attend the COP27 UN Climate Summit in Sharm El-Sheikh. EPA
  • Activists dancing during a discussion on leaflets at the Cop27 climate conference, taking place in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. AFP
    Activists dancing during a discussion on leaflets at the Cop27 climate conference, taking place in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. AFP
  • An activist wears a polar bear outfit as part of campaigning. AFP
    An activist wears a polar bear outfit as part of campaigning. AFP
  • From left, Rakia Amandou of Niger, Ba Aminata of Burkina Faso, Kenyan Rosemary Nenini, Fatima Mustafa Ahmed from Sudan and Djeneb Dicko from Burkina Faso at the Indigenous Peoples Pavilion. AP
    From left, Rakia Amandou of Niger, Ba Aminata of Burkina Faso, Kenyan Rosemary Nenini, Fatima Mustafa Ahmed from Sudan and Djeneb Dicko from Burkina Faso at the Indigenous Peoples Pavilion. AP
  • Abdulla Nasser Musallam Al Rahbi, Oman's Ambassador to Egypt and Permanent Representative to the Arab League, speaks at the COP27 climate conference in Egypt's Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh. AFP
    Abdulla Nasser Musallam Al Rahbi, Oman's Ambassador to Egypt and Permanent Representative to the Arab League, speaks at the COP27 climate conference in Egypt's Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh. AFP
  • Climate activists demonstrate in the designated protest zone. AP
    Climate activists demonstrate in the designated protest zone. AP
  • Sheikh Abdullah, Director General of Environment at the Public Authority of Kuwait, speaks at Cop27. AFP
    Sheikh Abdullah, Director General of Environment at the Public Authority of Kuwait, speaks at Cop27. AFP
  • Visitors at the Sharm El Sheikh International Convention Centre. AFP
    Visitors at the Sharm El Sheikh International Convention Centre. AFP
  • A display outside the convention centre. AFP
    A display outside the convention centre. AFP
  • A fountain in the green zone at the International Convention Centre at sunset. AFP
    A fountain in the green zone at the International Convention Centre at sunset. AFP
  • Mohamed bin Daina, right, Bahrain's Special Envoy for Climate Affairs and Chief Executive at the Supreme Council for Environment, at the conference. AFP
    Mohamed bin Daina, right, Bahrain's Special Envoy for Climate Affairs and Chief Executive at the Supreme Council for Environment, at the conference. AFP
  • Members of Extinction Rebellion stage a protest at the Glencairn tidal pool outside Cape Town, South Africa to mark Cop27's 'Water Day'. AP
    Members of Extinction Rebellion stage a protest at the Glencairn tidal pool outside Cape Town, South Africa to mark Cop27's 'Water Day'. AP
  • From left, Fahad Al Maskari of the Khalifa University, Frank Hartmann, Ghaleb Al Breiki of the UAE University, and Mouna Maroun of the University of Haifa, sign an agreement at Cop27. AFP
    From left, Fahad Al Maskari of the Khalifa University, Frank Hartmann, Ghaleb Al Breiki of the UAE University, and Mouna Maroun of the University of Haifa, sign an agreement at Cop27. AFP
  • John Kerry, US special presidential envoy for climate, at Cop27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. AP Photo
    John Kerry, US special presidential envoy for climate, at Cop27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. AP Photo
  • Australian climate activists offer bananas to climate summit participants. AFP
    Australian climate activists offer bananas to climate summit participants. AFP
  • Climate activist Sabrina Elba. AP Photo
    Climate activist Sabrina Elba. AP Photo
  • Egyptian security forces stand guard during the protest. AFP
    Egyptian security forces stand guard during the protest. AFP
  • US President Joe Biden. AFP
    US President Joe Biden. AFP
  • Mr Biden with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. AP
    Mr Biden with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. AP
  • A Cop27 sign in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, provides the backdrop for this woman's selfie. Reuters
    A Cop27 sign in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, provides the backdrop for this woman's selfie. Reuters
  • Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi speaks to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the climate summit. AFP
    Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi speaks to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the climate summit. AFP
  • A water wonderland greets this child at an acquarium in the Cop27 Green Zone. Reuters
    A water wonderland greets this child at an acquarium in the Cop27 Green Zone. Reuters
  • Mr El Sisi, second left, takes part in a cycling marathon on the sidelines of Cop27. EPA
    Mr El Sisi, second left, takes part in a cycling marathon on the sidelines of Cop27. EPA
  • Rafael Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, speaks in Sharm El Sheikh about 'complicated' talks to set up a protection zone around Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. AFP
    Rafael Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, speaks in Sharm El Sheikh about 'complicated' talks to set up a protection zone around Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. AFP
  • Frankie the dinosaur. Reuters
    Frankie the dinosaur. Reuters
  • US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Reuters
    US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Reuters
  • Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan, CEO of the Alliances for Global Sustainability; Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment and Minister of State for Food Security; and Hatem Dowidar, group CEO at e&. AFP
    Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan, CEO of the Alliances for Global Sustainability; Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment and Minister of State for Food Security; and Hatem Dowidar, group CEO at e&. AFP
  • Sameh Shoukry, Cop27 president, centre left, poses for photos in the youth pavilion. AP
    Sameh Shoukry, Cop27 president, centre left, poses for photos in the youth pavilion. AP
  • A visitor looks at the 'Zero Point' series of collage portraits by Turkish artist Deniz Sagdic, each of which is made from a particular kind of upcycled waste material. Getty
    A visitor looks at the 'Zero Point' series of collage portraits by Turkish artist Deniz Sagdic, each of which is made from a particular kind of upcycled waste material. Getty
  • Participants visit the Ukrainian pavillon. AFP
    Participants visit the Ukrainian pavillon. AFP
  • Mr Kerry speaks during a session on accelerating the clean energy transition in developing countries. AP
    Mr Kerry speaks during a session on accelerating the clean energy transition in developing countries. AP
  • Youth climate activists. Pictured, from the left, Eric Njuguna of Kenya, Nicole Becker of Argentina, Vanessa Nakate of Uganda, Sophia Kianni from Iran, and Mitzi Jonelle Tan of the Philippines. AP
    Youth climate activists. Pictured, from the left, Eric Njuguna of Kenya, Nicole Becker of Argentina, Vanessa Nakate of Uganda, Sophia Kianni from Iran, and Mitzi Jonelle Tan of the Philippines. AP
  • Muhammad Sulaiman Al Jasser, right, chairman of the Islamic Development Bank Group, poses for a photo with Mohamed Hadi Al Hussaini, the UAE's Minister of State for Financial Affairs. AFP
    Muhammad Sulaiman Al Jasser, right, chairman of the Islamic Development Bank Group, poses for a photo with Mohamed Hadi Al Hussaini, the UAE's Minister of State for Financial Affairs. AFP
  • Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund. Bloomberg
    Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund. Bloomberg
  • A police officer stands at the entrance of the Sharm El Sheikh International Convention Centre during Cop27. Reuters
    A police officer stands at the entrance of the Sharm El Sheikh International Convention Centre during Cop27. Reuters
  • United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres. AP Photo
    United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres. AP Photo
  • Former US vice president Al Gore speaks during a session at Cop27. AP Photo
    Former US vice president Al Gore speaks during a session at Cop27. AP Photo
  • Demonstrators shout slogans during a protest. AFP
    Demonstrators shout slogans during a protest. AFP

One of the three said German police sent an email warning to delegates of “overt and covert surveillance through photography and videography”.

Comments last week by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz about Egypt's human rights record provoked the threat of surveillance, the source said.

“I’ve seen reports in the media,” said Mr Aboulmagd, a veteran diplomat. “They’re rather vague, imprecise and inaccurate.

“Just on the face of it, it seems ludicrous because that's an open event so why would any untoward surveillance exist in an open event when everyone can walk in?” Mr Aboulmagd said at a news conference.

He was referring to an event last week at the German Pavilion when the sister of a jailed Egyptian-British pro-democracy activist, Alaa Abdel Fattah, spoke.

He suggested the issue was being raised to divert attention from the substantive topics being discussed at the climate talks.

“We’re tired of these apparently intentional distractions from climate issues, excessive focus on unfounded allegations,” he said.

“We are facing an existential threat.”

An official with Germany's Foreign Ministry said at the weekend it expected participants in the climate summit to “be able to work and negotiate under secure conditions”.

“To this end, we are in continuous exchange with the Egyptian side.”

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

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Updated: November 14, 2022, 6:24 PM