Prosecutor frees prominent Egyptian youth activist

Ahmed Maher was arrested for ‘incitement’ a few days after he criticized President Morsi’s Islamist party on his movement’s website

11 May 2013, 2:14 pm

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An illustrative photo of Egyptian protesters chanting anti Muslim Brotherhood slogans outside the presidential palace, in Cairo, Egypt, in December 2012. (photo credit: AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt state news agency says the country’s prosecutor has ordered the release of a prominent youth leader a day after detaining him on accusations that he incited anti-government violence.

MENA reported Saturday that prosecutors are referring Ahmed Maher to a misdemeanor court on lesser charges, including insulting the interior minister and disrupting traffic.

Maher, a leader of the April 6 Youth Movement that was at the forefront of the 2011 revolt, was arrested at Cairo’s main airport as he arrived from the United States on Friday.

April 6 supported Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi in last year’s presidential race against a Mubarak-era official.

Hours before Maher’s release, a spokesman for the Brotherhood’s political party said the group was against his arrest.

Maher’s detention sparked a wave of anger among activists and the April 6 youth movement, which was at the forefront of the country’s 2011 uprising, who called for nationwide protests, including one in front of President Mohammed Morsi’s house.