Watch above: Two Canadians free to leave Egypt after detainment
TORONTO – Canadians John Greyson and Tarek Loubani are free to leave Egypt after being detained for more than 50 days, the country’s foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed to Global News on Thursday.
Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Badr Abdelatty said the two men were free to return to Canada. He said the investigation was completed and it was determined that they were cleared of any wrongdoing.
WATCH: John Greyson, Tarek Loubani thank supporters in video
Abdelatty said the investigation into dozens of other foreigners who were arrested the same day is ongoing.
UPDATE: Adria Minsky, spokesperson for Canada’s Minister of State (Foreign Affairs and Consular) Lynne Yelich said Thursday afternoon that Canadian officials are continuing to “work tirelessly to facilitate Dr. Loubani and Mr. Greyson’s departure from Egypt.”
“We look forward to seeing these two Canadians return home shortly,” she said in a statement to Global News.
Greyson and Loubani were arrested Aug.16 during violent anti-government demonstrations in Cairo.
READ MORE: Who are John Greyson and Tarek Loubani?
Abdelatty said both men were arrested in front of a mosque in the capital city’s downtown area.
He said the al-Fath mosque was the staging of a violent sit-in, where armed people inside the mosque opened fire on security forces.
Greyson and Loubani were passing through Egypt to cross into Gaza for a humanitarian mission.
The men were detained in what they called “ridiculous” conditions, with “no phone calls, little to no exercise… sleeping like sardines on concrete with the cockroaches, sharing a single tap of earthy Nile water.”
Note: This article has been corrected to reflect that dozens of other foreigners were arrested at the same time as Greyson and Loubani, not 600 (which is the approximate total number of arrests including Egyptians).
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