Mohamed Fahmy, journalist detained in Egypt, could be released within hours
Fahmy gave up his Egyptian citizenship
Egypt could free Canadian-Egyptian journalist Mohamed Fahmy within hours, Qatar-based news channel Al Jazeera English reported on Tuesday.
Fahmy's colleague, Peter Greste, an Australian citizen, was released on Sunday. A third journalist, Baher Mohamed, an Egyptian national, is still in prison in Cairo.
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The three men were sentenced last June to between seven and 10 years on charges including spreading lies to help "a terrorist organization" - a reference to the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
Al Jazeera said that Fahmy had renounced his Egyptian citizenship, in a move that paves the way for him to be deported under a presidential decree.
On Monday, Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird told CBC that Fahmy's release was "imminent". Baird did not elaborate, however, as to whether he meant hours or days.
A security source said on Sunday that Fahmy was expected to be released and deported to Canada within days.
Egyptian authorities accuse Qatar-based Al Jazeera of being a mouthpiece of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Qatari-backed movement which President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi toppled in 2013 when he was Egypt's army chief.