IRISHMAN Ibrahim Halawa has been found not guilty on all charges by Egyptian courts.
The 21-year-old Irishman originally from Dublin was acquitted earlier today at the court after spending four years in prison in Cairo since August 2013.
Mr Halawa was arrested while visiting family in Egypt with his three sisters.
At the time, the north African country was in a state of unrest and the siblings took refuge in a Mosque in Cairo when Ibrahim, then aged 17, was arrested alongside his sisters.
While the women were released from prison in November 2013, Mr Halawa remained imprisoned.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney TD, has welcomed the news from Cairo that Irish citizen Ibrahim Halawa and his sisters have been acquitted.
Minister Coveney said: “On behalf of the Government and on my own behalf I welcome the news from Cairo that Ibrahim Halwa has been acquitted.
"This is the good news we had been hoping for. Ibrahim Halawa’s name has been cleared and his innocence is confirmed. I look forward to him being released from custody without delay.
"My thoughts are with Ibrahim and his family at this time of great emotion for them.
"The Government’s priority now is to support Ibrahim and his family in every way that we can in order to ensure that Ibrahim is able to return home to his family and friends as soon as possible.
"We are conscious that there will be some practical procedures and formalities to be gone through before Ibrahim will be able to fly back to Dublin, but my Department and our Embassy team will be assisting and supporting Ibrahim and his family to seek to ensure he gets home as soon as possible.”
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