CAIRO, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Google marketing executive Wael Ghonim has been released after 10 days in Egyptian custody, the company confirms.
The Wall Street Journal reported Ghonim was suspected to have been arrested by police in Tahrir Square in Cairo during demonstrations Jan. 27 and was not heard from until Monday evening when a message was sent from his Twitter account, "@ghonim: "Freedom is a bless that deserves fighting for it."
The Journal said it is unclear what part, if any, Mr. Ghonim played in arranging the Jan. 25 Egyptian protests. But Ghonim was involved in online activism in the months preceding the demonstrations and subsequent forced firings of the Mubarak cabinet.
Google tweeted confirmation of Ghonim's release: "Huge relief -- Wael Ghonim has been released." A friend said Ghonim was safe with his family, the Journal reported.
The Egyptian newspaper, al-Masry al-Youm reported During Ghonim's detention the Arabic Network for Human Rights allegedly demanded the Egyptian government disclose Ghonim's whereabouts unknown to family and friends saying, "He is a young Egyptian, like many others, who came out to express his desire for democracy."
Ghonim's role at Google has been to oversee the "Arabization" of the company's online services. He has participated in many projects dedicated at supporting Arabic Internet content, al-Masry al-Youm said.
