Judicial sources affirmed on Monday that the Egyptian prosecutor-general’s office has issued a decision to release a number of detainees accused of joining a banned group, disrupting public peace and security and spreading false news.

The detainees include former diplomat Maasoum Marzouk, economic researcher Raed Salama, academic and geologist Yahya El-Qazzaz and political activist Nermin Hussein.

An official security source said that the decision comes in response to pleas by right groups and families of the detainees calling for their release after coordination between security services and the prosecution, which has acquitted the defendants of the charges against them. 

The source indicated that the detainees will be released within hours.