Ibroheng Mali, the 25-year-old Thai Muslim student who was detained in Cairo, Egypt over his suspected ties to the Islamic State (IS) group, has been freed and is back in his home in Yala.
Thai ambassador to Egypt Chainarong Keratiyutwong (right) met El Tahry, assistant to the Egyptian foreign minister, (second right) at an unknown location in Cairo on Monday. (Photo from Thai embassy in Egypt Facebook account)
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Mr Ibroheng, of Yaha district, thanked Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, the staff at the Thai embassy in Cairo and the Internal Security Operations Command's (Isoc) Region 4 Forward Command for helping him to return home safely.
The message was posted in the Facebook account named “Cahaya Kebenaran”, along with some pictures of Mr Ibroheng in Thailand.
According to previous media reports, Mr Ibroheng — a student at Al-Azhar University in Cairo — was arrested after officials found pictures linking him to IS. Mr Ibroheng reportedly confessed his ties to IS.
That said, there has been neither confirmation nor denial from Mr Ibroheng about his alleged ties to the group since his return to Thailand.
Following media reports about his detention in Egypt, Prime Minister Prayut asked the Foreign Ministry to help him.
Chainarong Keratiyutwong, the Thai ambassador to Egypt, met Hazem El Tahry, assistant to the Egyptian foreign minister, over the provision of consular assistance to the detained student, said a source.
The embassy expressed concerns over the detention of Mr Ibroheng, saying it hoped the student would be treated fairly and in accordance with international protocols, said the source.
Thai embassy officials then later exercised their rights outlined under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations to visit Mr Ibroheng and provide consular assistance to him, said the source.