Egypt detains, expels NY Times reporter entering at airport Egyptian authorities have detained and expelled a New York Times journalist upon his arrival at Cairo international airport, the latest move in the country's crackdown on free speech and the media

CAIRO -- Egyptian authorities have detained and expelled a New York Times journalist upon his arrival at Cairo international airport, the latest move in the country's crackdown on free speech and the media.

The newspaper reports Wednesday that security officials held former Cairo bureau chief David Kirkpatrick for seven hours without food or water after confiscating his mobile phone, before sending him back on a flight to London on Tuesday.

Egypt under general-turned-president Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has launched an unprecedented assault on Egyptian journalists in recent years, imprisoning dozens and occasionally expelling some foreign journalists.

Photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zaid, known as "Shawkan," is the most prominent among them. A court ordered his release in September after he served five years, but he remains behind bars as his release, possibly this week, is processed.