Syria releases fourth Egyptian after one-week detention

joe April 10, 2011

MENA

Sun, 10/04/2011 - 13:19

<p>Syrian soldiers guard a street in the port city of Latakia, 350 km northwest Damascus, March 27, 2011, where armed gangs have taken positions on rooftops across the city according to official sources. Syrian security forces strove to restore order in the northern city of Latakia on Sunday, after two days of chaos that left 15 dead and more than 150 injured in a wave of unrest that has put President Bashar al-Assad under unprecedented pressure.</p>

Photographed by AFP

Prev Next Pause Play

The Egyptian Embassy in Damascus said Syrian authorities released on Sunday an Egyptian called Nabil al-Barbari who was arrested in Damascus a week ago.

A car trader, al-Barbari is the fourth Egyptian to be detained during the protests in Syria that started a month ago.

Al-Barbari’s family informed the Egyptian consul Mohamed al-Fayoumi of his disappearance and said they had been unable to contact him for a week before he was arrested in Damascus.

Egyptian state-run news agency MENA quoted Egyptian ambassador to Syria Shawqi Ismail as saying he was informed of al-Barbari's release early on Sunday. Ismail mentioned good relationships between the two countries and said embassy officials will help facilitate al-Barbari’s return to Egypt.