Gregory Porter: Drexel student arrested in Egypt protests

A Drexel University student was among three American students arrested this week during violent protests in Cairo, Egypt.

The three, who are all exchange students at American University in Cairo, were identified as Drexel student Gregory Porter, 19, of Glenside; Derrik Sweeney, 19, who attends Georgetown University; and Luke Gates, 21, 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 La Salle 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 University, Porter is majoring in international area studies and went to American University in Cairo to study abroad.