CAIRO – Egyptian airport officials say an Eritrean detainee of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has died in an apparent suicide in an airport holding area.
The officials say Zeresenay Ermias Testfatsion was being held by authorities at Cairo International Airport, awaiting his return to Asmara, Eritrea. They say he was found dead Wednesday in a shower area.
The officials spoke Saturday on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
ICE confirms the man's death. The agency says the man had been in its custody since February 2017 following his arrest in Hidalgo, Texas, where he had tried to unlawfully enter the United States. Court records show he went to the U.S. seeking asylum.
The Eritrean embassies in the U.S. and Egypt haven't responded to requests for comment.
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Associated Press writer Amy Forliti in Minneapolis, U.S., contributed to this report.
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