NGO workers under investigation in Cairo allowed into US embassy

Jan 30, 2012, 22:39 GMT

Washington - A handful of US citizens barred from leaving Egypt have chosen to stay in the US embassy in Cairo while awaiting permission to leave the country, the US State department said Monday in Washington.

Egypt's government has barred the son of US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, along with other US and European citizens, from exiting the country. The situation has even drawn US President Barack Obama into appeals to the Egyptian government.

Sam LaHood directs the International Republican Institute in Egypt. A sister organization, the National Democratic Institute, said that six of its employees in Egypt have been banned from travelling. Both groups work on promoting democracy around the world.

Egyptian authorities said the group may have received illegal foreign funding and may have been operating in the country without government licenses, and CNN reported last week that the group must remain in Egypt until an investigation is completed.

US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland on Monday said the individuals 'ought to be allowed to leave.' The US on Friday made veiled threats to withhold military aid to Egypt in response to the ongoing situation.

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