Egyptian police arrest couple for swinger parties

Sex out of wedlock is illegal in Egypt, where the constitution says Islamic law is the main source of legislation.

The couple--a civil servant and his teacher wife--are accused of soliciting other couples over the Internet and inviting them to their home, said the security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

The pair allegedly held at least three such swinger parties, and Egyptian police are looking for the others who participated, said the officials, who are involved in the investigation.

Police claim the couple posted advertisements and used chat rooms on a popular Arabic pornographic Web site to arrange interviews with couples--usually at a downtown coffee shop--before they swapped partners, said one of the officials.

Many of the advertisements on the Web site the couple allegedly used contain personal e-mail addresses and telephone numbers.