Former Egyptian prime minister Ahmed Shafiq was arrested by Emirati authorities at his house in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and deported to Egypt on a private plane, Shafiq’s lawyer Dina Adly told the BBC.
Shafiq announced last week his intention to run for Egypt’s 2018 presidential election, saying he would be returning to Egypt in the next few days. In a televised speech, Shafiq said that he is barred from travelling outside the UAE for no clear reason.
Shafiq was the last prime minister under Mubarak’s regime. Following the 2011 revolution, he became actively involved in politics.
He was the head of the Egyptian Patriotic Movement and was the runner-up in the first presidential election after the revolution. He lost the presidential race to Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate, gaining 48.27% of the vote to Morsi’s 51.73%
An arrest warrant was issued for Shafiq in the aftermath of the 2012 presidential election, leading him to leave Egypt for the UAE.
