Egyptian authorities have released an executive for the software giant Google who had not been seen for more than a week.
Security sources say Wael Ghoneim, Google's head of marketing for the Middle East and North Africa, was freed on Monday. The Wall Street Journal reports Ghoneim played a prominent role in online activism in the months ahead of the historic protests calling for Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's ouster.
Ghoneim had not been seen since January 27, but friends and family worried that authorities had arrested him during protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square, an epicenter of the anti-government demonstrations.
His family was unable to confirm his whereabouts or his arrest until Sunday, when Egyptian telecom tycoon Naguib Sawiris said he would be released the following day.
The human rights group Amnesty International was concerned that Ghoneim faced a serious risk of torture by Egyptian security forces.
Also, a journalist for al-Jazeera's English-language news channel was released on Sunday after spending several hours in custody. Ayman Mohyeldin, an American citizen, was detained near Tahrir Square.
Dozens of journalists have been detained, injured and threatened while covering events in Egypt.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
