An American law student who had been held as a Mossad spy in Egypt since June is on his way to freedom.

Ilan Grapel has been released by the Egyptian authorities in return for 25 prisoners who were being held in Israeli jails. He is being flown to Israel in the company of two Israeli Knesset members, who reported that he appeared fine and was smiling.

American-Israeli Ilan Grapel is to be released this weekend from prison in Cairo, four months after being arrested on charges of "spying" for Israel.

Mr Grapel, a student at Emory University in Atlanta, spent several years in Israel and served in the Paratroopers Brigade. He is to be released in exchange for 25 Egyptians held in Israel on smuggling charges.

A US student being held as an Israeli spy in Egypt is expected to walk free in the coming days after Israel agreed to a prisoner swap.

The Egyptian journalist who questioned Gilad Shalit shortly after he was released from captivity has defended her technique.

Shahira Amin interviewed the sergeant, who looked pale, thin and tired and at points even gasping for breath, even before he had returned to Israeli soil and seen or spoken to his family.

On October 9, in the most violent demonstrations in Egypt since the revolution, the Christian Coptic minority took to the streets to protest.

Twenty-four civilians and soldiers were killed on that day. But throughout the rioting and the bloody reprisals by the military, Major General Murad Muwafi, director of Egypt's feared Mukhabarat intelligence service remained closeted away.

The Egyptian leadership this week promised the US Secretary of Defence, Leon Panetta, that there were no plans to change the peace treaty with Israel.

Mr Panetta's visit to Egypt on Tuesday came amid uncertainty regarding the future of Egypt's ties with Israel, following the violent attack on the Israeli embassy in Cairo last month.