Irish man is acquitted over Egypt protests

AN IRISH man who was facing the death penalty in Egypt has been acquitted by a court and is expected to be released in the coming days.

Ibrahim Halawa, 21, has spent four years in prison since he was arrested in Aug 2013 during a government crackdown on people protesting against the overthrow of Mohammed Morsi. He was tried along with nearly 500 other defendants in a mass trial outside Cairo.

Mr Halawa was born in Ireland and grew up in Firhouse, a Dublin suburb. He was arrested with his three sisters during a holiday to Cairo. They had joined the protests and took shelter in a mosque when the situation became violent. All four were arrested when security forces stormed the mosque.

The sisters were released on bail and fled the country but Mr Halawa was held in prison. He was charged with murder, arson and illegal possession of weapons and put on trial.

His sisters were tried in absentia and all four were acquitted. Mr Halawa’s lawyer said he was still in custody and the Irish government said there would be “practical procedures and formalities to be gone through before Ibrahim will be able to fly back to Dublin”.