Egypt seeks arrest of Hezbollah chief

CAIRO, April 16 (UPI) -- Cairo said it may issue charges and move for international arrest warrants for Hezbollah officials amid allegations of a terrorist plot on Egyptian soil.

Egyptian authorities claim Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah ordered a Hezbollah cell on Egypt's Sinai peninsula to carry out multiple attacks in their country.

Cairo arrested scores of suspects in raids on militants in the peninsula, saying information obtained during interrogation supports their allegations.

Nasrallah admitted that one of the Sinai suspects -- Mohammad Yousef Mansour, or Sami Shihab -- was serving as a Hezbollah intermediary for the Palestinian Hamas but denied allegations of a wider plot.

Muntasir al-Zayyat, a lawyer for Mansour, said his client admitted under torture to smuggling weapons to Hamas and later retracted his statements.

Citing Arabic-language news services, the International Middle East Media Center reported Egyptian authorities may file multiple charges against Nasrallah and his deputy, Naim Qassem, and petition Interpol to issue a warrant for their arrest.

Hezbollah officials have repeatedly said they are not plotting attacks on Egypt, maintaining their militancy is directed solely at Israel.