Egyptian authorities have slapped a travel ban on several US citizens working for non-governmental organisations, preventing them from leaving the country, officials said on Thursday. “We understand that a number of Americans working for NGOs, including the IRI, have been barred from travelling,” US Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy and Human Rights Michael Posner said in Cairo. Among those banned from travel is Sam LaHood, Egypt director for the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the son of US Secretary for Transportation Ray LaHood, an Egyptian airport official said. The ban was issued following “the orders of the prosecutor general,” the airport official told AFP. The move comes amid a crackdown on foreign-funded NGOs. It is likely to further strain relations between Egypt and the United States after prosecutors last month stormed the offices of groups including IRI as part of a probe into allegations of illegal funding from abroad.
