Key Libya minister in Cairo; Defection rumored

CAIRO - Egyptian airport officials say the Libyan interior minister has arrived in Cairo with family members.

The officials say the minister, Nassr al-Mabrouk Abdullah, landed just before noon on Monday at the Cairo international airport, with nine members of his family.

They say he arrived on a special plane from Tunisia and told Egyptian officials that he was "on a tourist visit." An airport official told CBS News that he entered as a "normal citizen," but used his diplomatic passport.

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The airport officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to the media.

The secrecy surrounding the arrival and the fact that no official from the Libyan embassy, which is loyal to Muammar Qaddafi, was at the airport to greet Abdullah, raised suspicions of a possible defection.