Egyptian commandos plucked six Israelis to safety from their Cairo embassy as protesters stormed the building and dumped diplomatic papers from a balcony, an Israeli official said on Saturday.
‘Six people were actually trapped in the embassy and there was a real concern for their lives,’ the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. ‘In the end they were successfully rescued by Egyptian commandos.’
Egypt declared a state of high alert after police clashed with protesters who raided a building housing the Israeli embassy, prompting Washington to call for protection of the mission.
During the violence, in which one person died of a heart attack and 448 people were injured, according to state television, protesters torched police trucks and attacked regional police headquarters.
Photo: AFF