German prosecutors have confirmed that a reporter from the al-Jazeera network detained after an extradition request from Egypt has been freed.
Ahmed Mansour, who works for the network’s Arabic-language service, was held on Saturday as he tried to board a flight from Berlin to Qatar.
A court in Egypt’s capital Cairo sentenced him to 15 years in prison in absentia last year on torture charges.
Al-Jazeera says the accusations against Mr Mansour are absurd and false.
“This was an unfortunate incident in Germany, but we are pleased that the mistake has been rectified,” said al-Jazeera’s acting director general, Mostefa Souag.
“We hope that this will be a lesson to the Egyptian authorities that the rest of the world values freedom of the press,” he added.
Patrick Teubner, a lawyer for Mr Mansour, told Associated Press that there were no further legal matters pending against his client in Germany.
Mr Mansour was released into a cheering crowd on Monday.
“Thanks to people around the world who supported me in the last days,” he said, according to AFP.
