Imprisoned activist calls off hunger strike

CAIRO >> The family of imprisoned Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah said Tuesday they received a letter from him saying he has ended his hunger strike.

The family said that AbdelFattah’s mother, Laila Soueif, received a short note in her son’s handwriting via prison authorities. The letter is dated Monday.

“I’ve broken my strike. I’ll explain everything on Thursday,” the letter read. The circumstances under which he wrote the letter were not clear. The activist had previously said he was willing to die in his strike if not freed.

The family has not seen Abdel-Fattah since the last pre-allotted visit on Oct. 24 and has not been given information on his condition.