John Greyson and Tarek Loubani reportedly free to leave Egypt after weeks of captivity

The long, drawn-out nightmare appears to be coming to an end for two Canadians who had been imprisoned in Egypt, with reports that the pair will be free to leave the country after eight weeks in captivity.

Tarek Loubani and John Greyson were jailed in August after being arrested and accused of participating in an illegal protest in the streets of Cairo.

CBC News’ Derek Stoffel confirmed via the pair's lawyer on Thursday that Egyptian officials have agreed to let them leave the country, putting an end to weeks of uncertainty.

After Greyson and Loubani were arrested on Aug. 19, they spent six weeks in prison without being charged. They claiming the entire situation had been a misunderstanding, while the Canadian government began petitioning for their release.

The pair was freed last week, following a brief hunger strike, but still faced the threat of charges and was not allowed to leave the country.

[ Related: John Greyson, Tarek Loubani say thanks in new video from Egypt ]

Yet the writing may have already been on the wall that they would soon be free to leave. On Wednesday, the pair released a Youtube video thanking the people of Canada for their support.

"We're very touched and overwhelmed," Greyson said in the video. "We're just getting the sense now of the incredible support that was there that came together from every corner Canadians people around the world, people here in Egypt to make this day possible."

Their return is coming none too soon, either. After weeks of vocal support, including from several filmmakers during the Toronto International Film Festival, discord was growing about the attention they were receiving.

Both Sun News Network's Ezra Levant and the Globe and Mail's Margaret Wente have recently opined on the pair's motives for being in Egypt. Levant further called them "preening media celebrities."

It is not clear whether the pair have yet made travel plans, but one would suspect they won’t stay around Cairo for the weekend.

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