Scramble Is on to Find Deal for 16 Americans in Egypt
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and STEVEN LEE MYERS
CAIRO — American diplomats scrambled on Saturday to work out a deal to resolve the criminal charges against 16 Americans here on the eve of their scheduled trial in a case that has threatened to upend the 30-year alliance with Egypt.
… In court papers, Egyptian prosecutors accuse the groups of collaborating with the Central Intelligence Agency in a campaign to destabilize Egypt and manipulate its revolution for the benefit of the United States and Israel.
Military buildup in Egypt went on years prior to the “Arab Spring” event in 2011. There were American military contractors working in Egypt long before this event took place.