British man arrested in Egypt for patting airport security guard on the back

A trip to Egypt turned traumatic for a group of friends when one member of the group was arrested at Hurghada airport. Surrey man Tony Camoccio has to spend 15 more days in police custody after being arrested five days ago. According to his friends, Tony patted a security guard on the back as a friendly gesture. This instigated the airport security to arrest him. Later, his friends and family were informed that he was arrested for sexually assaulting the guard.

Tony, his wife Joan Camoccio and his 26-year-old son had travelled to Egypt with a group of Tony's friends. The group arrived at Hurghada Airport on Saturday, February 8. From the airport, the group was supposed to go to a resort on the Red Sea coast. However, the holiday was nipped at the bud when Tony was arrested at the airport.

When Tony was arrested, his friends and family were not informed of the charges he faced. Four days after the arrest, his family was informed that Tony faced sexual assault charges for touching the security guard. The next day, he was supposed to appear in court but the court hearing was pushed back.

Days before Tony was supposed to be released from prison, police informed the family that he will remain in police custody for 15 more days. The police claim that the investigation is taking longer, and Tony has to remain in custody until the investigation is over.

Speaking to The Daily Mail, a friend of the troubled tourist revealed that the man spent an entire day in handcuffs and without food and water. Nearly two days after the arrest, the police asked his family to send food, water, clothes, toiletries, and other essentials which he was deprived of.

According to the friend, the police is withholding video evidence of the incident. An online petition has been launched in hopes of freeing Tony.

The family is being assisted by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Egypt.

Around 500,000 tourists visit Egypt from the United Kingdom each year. Hurghada airport has a history of mistreating tourists. Earlier in February, a group of British tourists revealed that they were "treated like cattle" and locked in a room for hours after their flight was delayed in Hurghada.