The fishing boat "Sayed Abu Ali" arrived at the port of Suez Tuesday, bringing five fishermen–detained by Saudi Arabian authorities last week for entering the kingdom’s territorial waters–back to their native Egypt.
According to the fishermen, the boat’s engine had broken down while they had been fishing in international waters. The vessel was later swept by the current into Saudi Arabian territorial waters, they claim, where they were soon arrested by Saudi authorities.
The men were subsequently released, however, by Saudi royal pardon.
Boat owner Hussein el-Gabrouni said the Sayed Abu Ali had broken down "due to bad weather."
In a related development, the families of 13 Egyptian fishermen currently detained in Libya for trespassing on Libyan territorial waters have called on the government to pay the fines demanded by a Libyan court for their release. One month ago, the court slapped each fisherman with a fine of 500 Libyan dinars for the transgression.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
