In sort-of-related, a gay man by the name of Mohamed Essam Ghoneim el-Attar has been under lock and key over in Egypt. The government insists el-Attar admitted to spying for an Israeli Mossad-backed espionage group in both Canada and Turkey. Israel, of course, denies the charges.

Fearing his faggot life in Egypt, el-Attar fled to Canada back in 2002, where he took a job as a bank teller. On the 1st of this year, el-Attar flew back to Cairo, where police arrested him and threw him in detention. His family insists he’s not a spy and has been calling on the Canadian government to help rescue him. The government, however, has not acknowledge el-Attar’s citizenship and therefore hasn’t made a pledge to negotiate for his safe return. Globe and Mail elaborates:

While in custody, prosecutors say, [el-Attar] admitted that he worked for Israel, at the behest of a Mossad-backed espionage network operating in both Canada and Turkey.
…
Egypt has alleged that he has revealed the identities of Mossad handlers living in Turkey and Canada, and is urging that they be arrested and sent to Egypt for trial.

Canada, which has no extradition treaty with Egypt, has not said whether it would oblige the request. In the past, human-rights concerns have scuttled attempts to deport fugitive Egyptians from Canada.

Though it’s unclear whether Canada will step in on el-Attar’s behalf, officials do concede that he faces the risk of persecution in Egypt. As if that weren’t obvious enough.