Overview
- Alaa Abd El-Fattah issued an unequivocal apology for decade-old posts that included calls for violence and derogatory language, saying some were misread and all were wrong.
- Downing Street condemned the historic posts as abhorrent but defended the long-running effort to secure his release and return, noting the prime minister was unaware of the tweets at the time.
- Conservative and Reform UK figures demanded citizenship revocation and deportation, though government sources and legal guidance indicate such actions are limited to cases like fraud or serious criminality.
- The Foreign Office is reviewing how the case was handled and why past remarks were not flagged earlier, with scrutiny also on the 2021 route by which he gained citizenship through his British-born mother.
- The Metropolitan Police said the resurfaced material is being assessed to determine whether any further investigation is required; UN investigators previously judged his Egyptian detention a breach of international law and he was pardoned in September.