Cairo Jan. 9, (Aswat Masriya) - Thirteen of the fishermen arrested in Tunisia last December are due to return to Egypt on Saturday, the state-owned MENA news agency reported.

A security source told MENA that airport security will question the fishermen once they arrive in the country.

Tunisian coast guard authorities had arrested 16 Egyptian fishermen for illegally entering and trawl fishing on the coast of Zarzis, the Tunisian defense ministry had said.

The remaining three fishermen are scheduled to return shortly after the first group of 13 fishermen, the security source said.

In a statement on its official website, the Tunisian defense ministry said that the boat-full of fishermen that broke into the Tunisian territorial waters have been handed over to the National Guard of the Zarzis Coast in order to proceed with the legal consequences.

The boat-full of fishermen was later transferred to the Sfax Coast to continue investigations.

The fine for breaking into Tunisian territorial waters ranges between $20,000 to $220,000.

The Egyptian foreign ministry stated shortly after the arrest that it was coordinating with the Tunisian authorities to resolve the issue.

Scores of Egyptians have been detained, and later released, in Libya, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia for illegally crossing over into their territorial waters to fish.  

The Egyptian foreign ministry has repeatedly issued warnings to fishermen against illegally entering regional waters.