The Zambian court announced, today Friday, the release of 5 Egyptians and one Zambian, after prosecutors dropped espionage charges against them, following 3 weeks since their arrival on a private plane, with weapons, ammunition, cash, and fake gold, according to the Russian news agency "Sputnik."

The Zambian National Broadcasting Corporation reported that the Lusaka magistrate court in Zambia released the five Egyptians and one Zambian who were recently accused of espionage in connection with a gold fraud operation.
The agency added that the released Egyptians are Waleed Botros, Mounir Awad, Mohamed Gouda, Yasser Abdel Ghafoor, and Michael Botros.

The Zambian Drug Enforcement Commission, in an official statement posted on its social media account on "Facebook," stated that two of the Egyptians will be re-arrested on unspecified lesser charges, and they will be released on bail.

Last month, Zambian authorities announced the seizure of contents from a plane that arrived from Cairo, stating that it "carried approximately $5.7 million in cash and 127 kilograms of suspected gold bullion," but later announced that "it is about copper, zinc, tin, and nickel in varying proportions," indicating that it "seized 5 pistols and 7 magazines of ammunition, and 126 rounds."

Zambian media claimed that "the seized plane belongs to an Egyptian businessman and that it arrived in the country last Monday."