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Google exec/activist 'released' by Egyptian authorities
Wael Ghonim had been missing for two weeks
A Google executive who is believed to have been held in detention in Cairo since last month has been released, according to reports.
Wael Ghonim, Google's head of marketing for the Middle East and North Africa, disappeared some time after 27 January, when public protests against President Hosni Mubarak began. The company launched a public appeal for information about him last week.
Ghonim had joined the protests in Cairo on 25 January, and had regularly tweeted updates – until 27 January. He has since been named as one of the administrators of the Facebook pages used to coordinate the protests in the country.
Reports last night suggested the Egyptian government had confirmed he was in detention, along with other social networking revolutionaries/activists ... and would be released today.
Reuters cites local reports that Ghonim has now been released, while CNN reporter Ben Wedeman has tweeted his release, though he added "not that he is in Tahrir" ... ®
Biting the hand that feeds IT
