Stork detained on suspicion of spying found dead in Egypt

A stork detained by Egyptian authorities on suspicion of being a winged spy has been found dead.

Mahmoud Hassib, the head of Egypt's southern protected areas, said that local residents found the dead bird on an island in the Nile, south of the ancient city of Aswan.

In August, a local resident found the stork in Egypt's Qena governorate, some 450km southeast of Cairo, news24 reports.

Both the local and police were suspicious of the European wildlife tracker found on it.

Authorities later let the bird go. However, there is controversy over the death of the bird.

An Egyptian wildlife organisation claimed on its Facebook page the bird was eaten by local villagers.