Egypt deports U.S. anti-war activist travelling to Gaza

Egypt on Tuesday deported an American anti-war activist who was trying to travel to the Gaza Strip, airport officials and the activist herself said.

Medea Benjamin, who co-founded the CodePink anti-war group, was detained on arrival in Cairo airport on Monday. She had planned to join a delegation of activists on a visit to the Palestinian coastal enclave this week.

She told Agence France Presse airport police broke her arm during her detention before putting her on a flight to Istanbul.

"I arrived yesterday (Monday). They took me out of customs, held me overnight, threw me on the floor, and broke my arm. Two policemen jumped on me and broke my arm," she said in a telephone conversation aboard her flight.

An airport official said Benjamin "dislocated her shoulder," without elaborating.