Mohamed Fahmy, Canadian journalist who was jailed in Cairo, leaves Egypt
Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy, who was recently released from a Cairo prison, has left Egypt after his name was removed from a no-fly list.
Fahmy tweeted Tuesday that Canadian Ambassador to Egypt Troy Lulashnyk escorted him to the gate at the airport in Cairo.
"A glorious end to our battle for freedom!" Fahmy wrote.
Fahmy is headed to London, where he is due to give a talk with his lawyer, Amal Clooney, at the Frontline Club Wednesday, and will then travel to Toronto and is expected to arrive in Vancouver in a week. He has a teaching position waiting for him at the University of British Columbia.
Lynne Yelich, the minister of state for foreign affairs and consular services, said the Canadian government is pleased that Fahmy is now on his way back home.
"Canada has worked tirelessly, at the highest levels, on Mr. Fahmy's behalf," Yellich said in a statement. "We are grateful that his long ordeal is over."
Fahmy had tweeted Monday that the ambassador had informed him that his name had been removed from a no-fly list.
In August, Fahmy lost his second trial on widely denounced terrorism charges connected to his work for Al Jazeera's English network. He faced a three-year sentence after already having spent more than 400 days in prison.
However, Fahmy was pardoned by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sis on Sept. 23 and released from prison that same day.
"I really ... can't wait to show my wife what Canada's all about. I mean, I've been talking about this, about back home, for years now and what sort of life we have there and the freedom we have," Fahmy told CBC News the day he was freed from prison.
