Friends and family of the alleged Israeli spy detained in Egypt Sunday say he is a 27-year-old American-Israeli who was interning for a non-profit organization in Egypt.

Egyptian authorities detained Ilan Grapel for 15 days on Sunday. They say the man entered Cairo around January 25 and had posed as a foreign correspondent.

They allege he is an officer with Israel's Mossad intelligence agency and had encouraged youths to clash with the Egyptian military during the protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square that led to the ouster of Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak.

However, those close to Grapel say he is not an Israeli agent. They say he is just an American law student who speaks Arabic and has an avid interest in the Middle East.

They say Grapel emigrated to Israel from the U.S. in 2005 and served in the Israeli military. In 2006, he was wounded during the war between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah.

The U.S. says a consular officer visited Grapel in prison on Monday. Israeli officials say they are not aware of any missing agent in Cairo.

Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979.