Egypt detains Al Jazeera journalist and two brothers

Egyptian authorities have detained an Al Jazeera journalist and his two brothers while he was on a visit to Cairo to visit his family, the network announced this afternoon.

“Egyptian security detained colleague Mahmoud Hussein, a producer at Al Jazeera, in Cairo,” the Qatar-based television broadcaster said via Twitter.

Hussein, an Egyptian citizen, was detained and taken to an unknown location, according to Al Jazeera.c

“National Security officers [who operate under the Interior Ministry] also detained Hussein’s two brothers and raided their homes,” the network asserted.

In the same statement, Al Jazeera held the Egyptian authorities responsible for the journalist’s safety and that of his brothers.

According to Salim Al-Mahroukey, a television presenter at the Al Jazeera Mubasher channel, security agents had detained Hussein “a few days after his arrival in Egypt for a family visit”.

The broadcaster’s assertions have yet to be verified by the Egyptian authorities.