CAIRO (JWN) — An Egyptian court has extended the remand of American-Israeli citizen Ilan Grapel, accused of spying for the Mossad, by 45 days, the Cairo daily Al Ahram reported late last week.

The court ignored an appeal by the US Embassy for Grapel to be released on bail during the ongoing investigation, after the prosecutor maintained that he would be a flight risk, according to the paper.

Grapel, 27, was arrested in Cairo by the security police in June. He has been accused of fomenting sectarian strife and gathering intelligence on post-revolution Egypt on behalf of the Mossad.

Grapel is a law student at Emory University and, as a dual citizen, served in the IDF. He told reporters he had traveled to Egypt as part of his work for a charity helping African refugees. The Israeli government, as well as his family and friends, have utterly denied he was working as a spy.