CAIRO - Applause and cheers by family members and friends greeted a young Egyptian-American engineer who returned to Cairo after Syrian authorities released him on Friday following a swift intervention by the Foreign Ministry. Syrian authorities have arrested Mohamed Radwan while taking photos of an anti-Government protest on March 25 in Damascus, the local media reported. The photos of the pro-democarcy protest have landed Radwan in a Damascus jail after the Syrian authorities accused him of spying for Israel. He strong denied the charge when he appeared on Syrian television as a prisoner. The authorities accused him of selling photos and video from the Syrian protests, and also said he visited Israel, which is considered a crime in Syria. Radwan's parents have complained to the Foreign Minister Nabil el-Arabi, who launched a flurry of diplomatic contacts with the Syrian authorities, which led to releasing the young man on Friday and flying him back to Cairo on Saturday, where his family members and friends were waiting for him at the airport. "Welcome Home Radwan," his family and friends chanted as Radawan made his way from the airport's Arrival Hall. He said he was very proud of the efforts that had been exerted by Minister el-Arabi and the Egyptian Ambassador in Damascus, Shawqi Ismail, to release and re-patriate him. Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil el-Arabi met Radwan in Cairo.
