Ashraf Marwan, 62; suspected double agent in Yom Kippur War

Ashraf Marwan, 62, the controversial son-in-law of Egypt’s late President Gamal Abdel Nasser, was found dead early Wednesday after falling from his apartment balcony in the St. James’s Park neighborhood of London, the Middle East News Agency reported.

The death of Marwan, suspected of being a double agent during the 1973 war with Israel, comes amid a controversy in Egypt about his role in the intelligence and business worlds.

Some opposition lawmakers recently demanded an investigation after Egyptian newspapers carried reports from Israeli media about Marwan’s possible role as a double agent during the war, when Egypt and Syria waged a joint attack against Israel on Yom Kippur. The Egyptian government has never commented on those allegations.

Maj. Gen Eli Zeira, who was fired from his position as head of military intelligence over Israel’s failure to predict the 1973 Arab attack, said in a 1993 book that Israel was caught by surprise because it was led astray by a double agent, whom he did not identify.

Marwan’s name was released to the press later.

Born to a father who was a military officer in Nasser’s presidential guard, Marwan joined the army himself after getting a degree in chemical engineering. He later worked as an assistant to Nasser. After Nasser’s death in 1970, he became a political and security advisor to the late President Anwar Sadat.