An Ontario woman says she fears for her father鈥檚 safety after he was detained by Egyptian authorities at the end of a business trip.
On Saturday, Amal Ahmed told CTV News Channel that she last heard from her father, Yasser Ahmed, when he was trying to leave Cairo International Airport on Feb. 18.
Ahmed says that her father, who lives in Oakville, Ont., informed the family from the airport that he was being 鈥渟et aside鈥� and wasn鈥檛 sure why.
鈥淎round 10 p.m., he sent us a message letting us know that he loves us, and then after that we haven鈥檛 heard anything from him,鈥� she told CTV News Channel.
Ahmed said that a close friend of her father told the family that the Canadian had been taken into custody by state security personnel.
That was the only other information they received until Saturday, when Egyptian officials confirmed to the family that Ahmed was being detained. They would not say where he is being held or why.
Global Affairs Canada told CTV News that they are aware that a citizen has been detained in Egypt. They said consular services are being provided and they are seeking more information from local authorities.
鈥淭he Canadian ambassador in Egypt is involved so I鈥檓 very, very grateful for that,鈥� Ahmed told CTV News Channel. 鈥淥ne of the most important things I鈥檝e learned in the past from other cases of Canadians detained in Egypt was that early government intervention is key.鈥�
鈥淚f we wait too long until fabricated charges end up happening in the legal system it makes it very hard,鈥� Ahmed said.
Citing reports from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, Ahmed said she鈥檚 worried that her father could face mistreatment or even torture.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 honestly my greatest concern,鈥� she said.
