Egyptian computer engineer Khaled El-Gaiesh, who was arrested in Syria a week ago, was released on Monday, stated Mohamed Abdul-Hakam, foreign minister's assistant for Egyptians abroad.
El-Gaiesh, who works for a Swiss Beirut-based company, disappeared all of a sudden in the city of Homs. He travelled to Syria after being invited by friends.
He set off overland through Aleppo on Sunday, 27 March but mysteriously went AWOL. His whereabouts remained unknown as his cell phone was out of service.
Abdul-Hakam said: “The release of El-Gaiesh was accomplished because of the distinguished relations between Egypt and Syria, and in response to calls and efforts made by the [Egyptian] foreign ministry in this matter.
“It also reflects the great attention the foreign ministry pay to the Egyptians who lives abroad,” he added.
Abdul-Hakam says El-Gaiesh, 26, is flying back to Lebanon.
Another engineer Mohamed Radwan, an Egyptian-American, was detained by Syrian authorities for around a week and released on 1 April.
He was caught up in pro and anti-government clashes on 25 March at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus.
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