“This is a student, perhaps a little strange or a little careless. He has no connection to any intelligence apparatus, not in Israel, not in the US and not on Mars,” Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Army Radio.

Grapel, 27, was arrested in Egypt on Sunday and ordered held for 15 days. Egypt alleged he was an Israeli spy out to recruit agents and monitor the events of the revolt that overthrew President Hosni Mubarak.

“This is a mistake or strange behavior by the Egyptians. They have received all the clarifications and I hope the whole story will end quickly,” Lieberman said.

Grapel’s mother, Irene, said her son, a law student in the United States, was working for Saint Andrew’s Refugee Services, a non-governmental organization, in Cairo.

The US embassy in Cairo said a consular officer visited Grapel on Monday and found him in good health.

Grapel immigrated to Israel in 2005 from New York and served in its military in the 2006 Lebanon war.