Canada foreign minister says release of Egyptian-Canadian Al-Jazeera journalist is "imminent"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE - In this Monday, March 31, 2014 file photo, Al-Jazeera English producer Baher Mohamed, left, Canadian-Egyptian acting Cairo bureau chief Mohammed Fahmy, center, and correspondent Peter Greste, right, appear in court along with several other defendants during their trial on terror charges, in Cairo, Egypt. Canada's foreign minister said Monday, Feb. 2, 2015, the release of Fahmy from a prison in Egypt is "imminent." Fahmy, a dual Egyptian-Canadian citizen, has relinquished his Egyptian citizenship as prerequisite to his deportation. Foreign Minister John Baird spoke to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. a day after Al-Jazeera's Australian journalist Peter Greste was released after more than a year in prison. Baird gave no specific time frame for Fahmy's release, and his spokesman declined further comment. (AP Photo/Heba Elkholy, El Shorouk, File) EGYPT OUT (The Associated Press)
Canada's foreign minister says the release of Egyptian-Canadian Al-Jazeera journalist Mohamed Fahmy from a prison in Egypt is "imminent"
Foreign Minister John Baird made the remark to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. on Monday, a day after Al-Jazeera's Australian journalist Peter Greste was released after more than a year in prison.
Greste, Fahmy and Egyptian Baher Mohammed were arrested in December 2013 and later convicted over their coverage of the violent crackdown on Islamist protests that year.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Baird didn't say if imminent meant hours or days. A spokesman for Baird declined further comment.
Baird spoke with his Egyptian counterpart on Sunday and said he welcomed the release of Greste, calling it a positive development. He noted that he remained hopeful that Fahmy's case will be resolved in "short order."