An Egyptian engineer who was serving 15 years in prison for spying for Israel died in his cell in Cairo, a security official said on Monday.

Jail wardens found Sherif Fawzi Mohammed al-Filali, 41, dead in his cell in Torah prison when they went to wake him up early Monday morning, the security official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Prison doctors determined that al-Filali died of heart failure, and his family was asked to come collect his body, according to the official.

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In March 2002, an Egyptian state security court convicted al-Filali of spying for Israel and sentenced him to 15 years in prison with hard labor.

Al-Filali had pleaded innocent to charges of transferring divulging information regarding Egypt's military, economy, politics and tourism, with the intent of harming the country's national interests.

Israel denied obtaining information from al-Filali, and declared it had no connection to the case.

Al-Filali was originally acquitted in his first June 2001 trial, with the judges saying the state had proved its case, but that al-Filali was not guilty because he had come forward about his actions.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak ordered a retrial after the acquittal sparked a public outcry in Egypt.

A Russian co-defendant, Gregory Cevets, was found guilty of recruiting al-Filali and of espionage, and was sentenced in absentia at the time to 25 years in prison with hard labor.