Italy releases ex-Egypt minister detained at behest of Sisi

Former Egyptian minister of legal and parliamentary affairs under President Mohamed Morsi, Mohamed Mahsoob, was released today after spending one day detained in Italy at the request of the Egyptian government.

In a tweet published after his detention yesterday, Mahsoob wrote that the Italian authorities refuse to disclose the charges against him, pointing out that the arrest came at the request of the Egyptian authorities.

الشرطة الإيطالية تحتجزني منذ ٣ ساعات قرب مدينة كاتانيا بطلب من السلطة المصرية لتسليمي..
وترفض الإفصاح عن التهم الموجهة لي..

— Mohamed MAHSOOB (@MohammedMAHSOOB) August 1, 2018

He added that the police had arrested him from his hotel in the southern Italian city of Catania, and that he would be presented to the investigating authorities this morning.

Mahsoob added that he is paying “the price of his positions to support the legitimacy in Egypt and that he does not regret what he did.”

In a clip on Facebook, Mahsoob denied the charges against him by the Egyptian authorities, including attacks on state property, arson and rape.

Read: Egypt arrests PhD student researching judicial system

He went on to stress that he would defend his freedom until his last breath.

Mahsoob, who lives in France, left Egypt legally after the military coup in July 2013. He participated in mediation attempts between the coup regime and the Muslim Brotherhood.