IRISHMAN Ibrahim Halawa is due home in Ireland today after spending more than four years behind bars in Egypt.
The 21-year-old from Firhouse in Dublin was finally freed from custody in Cairo last Thursday night.
His flight home today comes a month after he was acquitted of all charged relating to mass protests in the Egyptian capital in August 2013.
Taking to Facebook to post an update, Mr Halawa posted a photo of himself on board a plane and wrote: “Finally on my way home.
"Finally the day where I can see the sky without bars, smell fresh air, walk freely and smile deeply from the bottom of my heart.
"But I miss one thing and it's being home.”
He added: "I wanna thank the team at the embassy who worked very hard.
"The ambassador Sean O'Regan, former ambassador Damien Cole, Shane Gleeson, Vincent Herlihy."
"Thank you to everyone who has caused this moment I love you all so much.
“Looking forward to finally coming home – I will arrive Dublin at 11!”
Mr Halawa – who was 17 when he was first imprisoned in Cairo – hasn’t seen a number of his family members in years.
He had been on trial earlier this year along with 500 other defendants over anti-government protests against then president Mohammed Morsi.
The Dubliner’s three sisters – Fatima, Omaima and Somaia – were also arrested in 2013 before later being released and returned to Ireland.
They too were acquitted in absentia by the Egyptian court.
Mr Halawa departed Egypt in the early hours of this morning and is expected to land back home in Dublin at around 11am.
