LUSAKA, Sept 1 (Reuters) - A Zambian court freed five Egyptians and one Zambian on Friday, after prosecutors dropped espionage charges against them three weeks after they arrived on a private plane with guns, bullets, cash and fake gold.
Two of the Egyptians would be rearrested on unspecified lesser charges and freed on bond, Zambia's Drug Enforcement Commission said.
We knew from day one that we were clean," one of the freed Egyptians told journalists outside the court.
While the initial charge sheet did not mention the aircraft or seized goods, lawyers for the defendants had said earlier that those arrested were on the plane.
Two Egyptian security sources had said the plane seized in Zambia had been inspected by authorities before leaving Cairo, but that one of the arrested Egyptians was able to board with bags that were not searched, which is now under investigation.
Persons:
Gracilia Mulenga, Chris Mfula, Bhargav Acharya, Peter Graff
Organizations:
Drug, Commission, Zambia's Drug, Agency, DPP, Public Prosecutions, Thomson
Locations:
LUSAKA, Lusaka, Egypt, Zambia, Cairo