Three American college students have been arrested in the Cairo protests at Tahrir Square.
Luke Gates, 21, Gregory Porter, 19, and Derrick Sweeney, 21, were arrested on the roof of a university building where they were allegedly throwing firebombs at security forces fighting with protesters near Tahrir Square.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because there was no authorisation to speak to the media.
The students - who are studying Arabic at the American University in Cairo - have been held in Cairo since their arrest Monday night.
A friend described the incident as "a big misunderstanding", but it appears the students had been spending a lot of time at the protests.
