An Egyptian court ordered the release Thursday of a journalist working for Qatar's Al Jazeera network after nearly two and a half years of detention, a judicial source and a lawyer said.
Mahmoud Hussein, an Egyptian national, was detained in Cairo in 2016 when he returned for a family holiday, on accusations of incitement against state institutions and spreading false news.
Al Jazeera's website said Hussein has been held in custody "without formal charges, a trial or a conviction." It remains unclear when he will be released but his lawyer Taher Abul Nasr said "it is expected to take place within days."