Not even after five days does the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration possess official information about the 16 Moldovans arrested in Egypt. In a communiqué, the Ministry says Deputy Minister Andrei Popov discussed with his Egyptian counterpart over the phone, asking him to help clarify the situation, Info-Prim Neo reports. The Ministry will send to Egypt a special emissary to provide consular and legal support to the Moldovans who will need it. The Consular Affairs Department launched verifications on September 12, ordering that the Embassy of Moldova in Ankara and, simultaneously, in Egypt and Tel-Aviv obtain official information about this case. The Romanian Embassy in Cairo and the candidate for Moldova’s honorific consul in Egypt were also asked to provide assistance. Earlier, the press reported that the Moldovans asked several Bedouins to help them get to Israel in exchange for US$1,000. Later, the Bedouins asked a double sum for their services and the two camps started to fight. The Moldovans managed to escape after killing the guard. According to another press report, 31-year-old smuggler Masood Salim was stabbed when he was trying to rape a woman from the group of Moldovan migrants.