Egypt slaps travel ban on head of American NGO

CAIRO: Egyptian authorities have slapped a travel ban on the head of a US non-governmental organisation that prevents him from leaving the country, airport officials said Thursday.

Sam Lahood, Egypt director for the International Republican Institute and the son of a US government minister, was not allowed to travel on Sunday "on the orders of the prosecutor general", the official told AFP.

The move, which comes amid a crackdown on foreign-funded NGOs, 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.