Members of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood were given special treatment at John F. Kennedy International Airport and were spared some security screenings, according to newly released internal U.S. government documents.
The New York Post reported on Tuesday that the VIP treatment known as “port courtesy” was granted by the State Department to the Muslim Brotherhood members during March and April 2012, before President Mohamed Morsi took office on June 30 of that year.
The paper cited documents compiled by the State Department and handed over to the International Project on Terrorism as part of a Freedom of Information Act request.
It said the “port courtesy” treatment is usually granted to foreign dignitaries. But the documents revealed how border security “laid out the welcome mat for members of the Muslim Brotherhood and its Freedom and Justice Party even before they took control of the Egyptian government in June 2012.”
Abdul Mawgoud Dardery, a senior Muslim Brotherhood member, was helped bypass certain security screens, according to the paper.
“We did not hear anything further from the MB [Muslim Brotherhood] so we assume to departure went smoothly,” a department official reported, according to the paper.
It said Dardery also bypassed a “secondary inspection,” in which security agents check luggage and electronic equipment of passengers.
Source: Al Arabiya
