British teenager released after two weeks in 'hell hole' Egyptian prison
A British teenager arrested in Egypt on spying allegations has been released from the “hell hole” prison where he was being held.
Muhammed Abulkasem, 19, was detained on November 21 at Alexandria airport after he took a photograph on his phone which included a military helicopter. Egyptian authorities accused him of “collecting information on a military facility”.
Mr Abulkasem, originally from Cheetham Hill, Manchester, was freed from detention last week and has been reunited with his family. He left Egypt on Friday.
In an audio message posted online, he said: “I’m not ready to talk right now but I feel I owe you all, due to your support, to inform you I’m out.”
He described his prison as “a hell hole” and said the last two weeks had been “dark, troubled times”. “I was ready to give up mentally and physically,” he added.
Shareen Nawaz, Mr Abulkasem’s cousin, said in a Facebook post that he had been “cleared of all of the ridiculous charges and [thank God] he has finally been released from a disgusting prison in a corrupt country.”
“Enjoy your holidays but please check local country rules before travelling and be careful what pictures you take. I know I defo won’t be travelling to Egypt ever again,” she said.
It is not clear exactly why Egyptian authorities decided to release Mr AbulKasem. There was no immediate comment from the Egyptian government.
A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: ”The Foreign Office provided consular assistance to a British national following his arrest in Egypt. He has since been released."
Mr Abulkasem, who was due to return to the UK next year to finish his A-levels, moved to Libya two years with his family to support an elderly relative.
He and a Libyan friend booked a hotel in Egypt together ahead of their visit to Alexandria. Both men were arrested after landing at the airport.
