Egyptian court rules to release Al Jazeera journalist

CAIRO

An Egyptian court on Thursday ruled to release Al Jazeera journalist Mahmoud Hussein after two and a half years in detention.

Hussein’s daughter, Zahra, wrote on her Facebook page: "My father has been released. Thanks to Allah."

She did not provide any additional details.

Tahir Abu al-Nasr, a member of Hussein's defense team, told Anadolu Agency that the Cairo Criminal Court had rejected an appeal lodged by prosecutors against his client’s release.

According to the terms of his release, however, Hussein must visit a local police station at regular intervals.

Hussein was detained by the Egyptian authorities in late 2016 after returning home to Egypt from Qatar.

The authorities had accused him of “belonging to an outlawed group” and “propagating false news aimed at destabilizing the country”.

Al-Jazeera was officially banned in Egypt following a 2013 military coup against Mohamed Morsi, the country’s first-ever democratically elected president.