AP: 150 Egyptian Illegal Immigrants...

Headline: 150 Egyptian illegal immigrants deported from Italy and Greece

By PAKINAM AMER,
Associated Press Writer

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) _ A group of 150 Egyptians were flown home Wednesday after being deported by Italian and Greek authorities for attempting to enter the countries illegally, a Cairo airport official said.
A senior airport security official said the Egyptians were arrested by coast guards after trying to enter Italian and Greek waters from Libya and Egypt on fishing boats. The official spoke on condition of anonymity.
The deportees claimed they were conned by gangs of smugglers in Egypt and Libya to pay 5,000 Egyptian pounds (US$865 or euro669.4) for aplace on a fishing boat sailing to Europe.
Italian security accompanied 50 deported men on a private jet. The other group _ flown on a private Egyptian plane from Athens _ was accompanied by Egyptian security.
Egyptian police said about 10 to 15 illegal deportees are returned toCairo every week.
Italian officials have blamed illegal immigration on the lack ofcooperation from southern Mediterranean nations, particularly Libya.