John Greyson, Tarek Loubani return after Egypt release

Canadians John Greyson and Tarek Loubani have returned to Canada after being detained for seven weeks without charge in Egypt.

Their flight left Cairo at about 9:40 a.m. local time Friday and landed shortly before 7 p.m. ET at Toronto's Pearson International Airport. They're expected to address the media at about 7:30 p.m.

"We cannot wait to see our families, who will be waiting for us in the city where we can share hugs, tears and laughs privately," they said in a statement. "We can't wait!"

Earlier, Lynne Yelich, Canada's minister of state for foreign affairs and consular, said in a statement that Canada "joins the families of Dr. Loubani and Mr. Greyson in welcoming their return to Canada."

Yelich then sent out a tweet saying: "Safe travels #johnandtarek #wheelsup" that linked to the statement.

It had been reported earlier that the pair were on a flight to Frankfurt, en route to Canada.

Greyson, a Toronto filmmaker, and Loubani, a London, Ont., doctor, had been in the country since their arrest in mid-August. The two were arrested after being caught up in violent anti-government demonstrations in Cairo, but never faced any formal charges.

They say they were detained in harsh conditions and spent most of their time in a cockroach-infested cell with dozens of other inmates.

Greyson and Loubani were suddenly released from prison last weekend, raising hopes their return to Canada was imminent. At Cairo's airport, however, they were not allowed to board a flight to Germany and were told their names were on a no-fly list.

Before making their way back to Canada, the men had been living in a Cairo hotel while lawyers pushed for their release.