American Found Hanged In Egyptian Police Cell

An American man has been found hanged in a police cell in Egypt, security officials have said.

Police in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia said James Henry committed suicide.

Mr Henry was arrested about six weeks ago after he was stopped for violating a curfew on the road between El Arish and Rafah in north Sinai.

In August, The Egyptian Independent reported that he told officials he was a retired US Army officer who was on his way to the Gaza Strip as he was a "historical documentation enthusiast".

Officials have now revealed that he arrived in Cairo from the Gulf kingdom of Bahrain on August 25.

They said Mr Henry was detained in the turbulent region of northern Sinai three days later. He was then flown to Ismailia and held in police custody pending charges.

His body was found at noon on Sunday at Ismailia Awal police station, on the canal that marks the border of Sinai and the rest of Egypt.

Egyptian officials told AFP that a US embassy delegation had visited Mr Henry in his cell last week.

His death comes a day after he was told authorities were extending his preventative detention by a further 30 days.

The US embassy in Cairo confirmed the death, saying: "A US citizen prisoner in Ismailia died from an apparent suicide."

"The embassy is in contact with authorities regarding the case and continues to provide all consular services."

The apparent suicide occurs at a time of heightened tensions between Egypt and the US, with many in America expressing concern about the government's crackdown against supporters of Mohamed Morsi.

On Thursday, the US suspended millions in aid to Egypt's military until democratic progress is made.

On Friday, two Canadians who had been held in an Egyptian jail after being detained while on their way to Gaza to make a film about Palestinian doctors, revealed they had been badly beaten in prison.