According to reports, Egyptian ex-Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq has been deported from the UAE, shortly after saying he wanted to run in the 2018 Egyptian presidential poll.
It was not immediately clear as to why Shafiq was deported from the United Arab Emirates though many reports have tried to tie it to his announcement about next year’s elections.
Shafiq has been in the UAE since 2012, following his defeat at the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi in Egypt’s post-uprising presidential elections. Upon Morsi’s win, Shafiq was faced with corruption charges.
According to a Reuters report, a source close to the Shafiq family said he had been arrested at his home and taken by plane to Cairo. One of his aides said that she had seen officials remove Shafiq from his Abu Dhabi home.
The following day, there were reports that Shafiq had been kidnapped upon his arrival at Cairo International Airport with his family saying they had been unable to contact him and suspected foul play. Those reports were put to rest quickly as Shafiq gave a telephone interview on live television.