Egyptian billionaire 'double agent' found dead in UK

Ashraf Marwan, 63, was alleged to have acted as a secret agent for Israel's Mossad spy agency during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, reportedly with the code name "Babel." He was found dead in an upscale London apartment complex. "It is understood he may have fallen from a balcony, but enquiries into the circumstances surrounding the death do continue," a police spokeswoman said. According to The Times newspaper of London, Marwan offered his services to Israel in 1969 and in the ensuing years provided information on Egypt and the Arab world that senior Israeli ministers would describe as priceless. Israeli public radio said that Marwan, son-in-law of late Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser, had spied for Israel and warned of the 1973 Yom Kippur War several hours before it broke out. On October 6, 1973, Egypt and Syria launched attacks on Israel on the holiest day on the Jewish calendar to recover territory lost in the 1967 war. But they were again defeated by Israel. More...