Gregory Porter: Drexel student arrested in Cairo protests

A Drexel University student is among three American students arrested during escalating protests in Cairo, Egypt, officials said.

The three, who are all students at American University in Cairo, were identified as Gregory Porter, 19, of Glenside, a student at Drexel University; Derrik Sweeney, 19, of Jefferson City, Mo., a student at Georgetown University; and Luke Gates, 21, an exchange student from Bloomington, Ind., who attends Indiana University.

The three are accused of setting off molotov cocktails and clashing with police in Tahrir Square, where anti-government protesters gathered for a “million-man march,” the Washington Post reported.

According to Porter’s Facebook page, he graduated from LaSalle College High School in Wyndmoor in 2010.

The anti-government protests, which erupted last weekend, have been met with violent response by security forces, according to reports. Egypt’s military leadership has promised to hand over power to a civilian government by July 2012.

According to a statement from Drexel, Porter is majoring in international area studies and went to American University in Cairo to study abroad.

“Drexel administrators are in contact with Porter’s parents and are working with authorities at the American University in Cairo and the U.S. Embassy to have Porter released and returned home safely,” the statement said.