Alaa Abd El-Fattah apologises for historic social media posts after return to UK
Alaa Abd El-Fattah, an Egyptian activist and prominent figure from Egypt's 2011 Arab Spring, returned to the UK on Boxing Day following years of detention in Egypt. He was pardoned earlier in 2025 by Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi. Abd El-Fattah was granted UK citizenship in December 2021, reportedly through his UK-born mother.
Upon his return, Abd El-Fattah issued an unequivocal apology for historic social media posts, some of which included calls for violence against Zionists. He said that some posts had been misunderstood or twisted. Downing Street stated it was right for him to apologise and that his British citizenship status remains unchanged. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is reviewing processes around his case.
Keir Starmer expressed his delight at Abd El-Fattah's return to the UK but was reportedly unaware of the historic posts when celebrating it. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister said the case had been worked on by successive governments and that the apology did not affect his citizenship status.
In contrast, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick, and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage urged the Home Secretary to consider stripping Abd El-Fattah of his citizenship and deporting him.
Abd El-Fattah was detained in 2019 and sentenced in 2021 for spreading false news, a punishment the United Nations described as a breach of international law. After his pardon by el-Sisi in 2025, he traveled to the UK to join his son in Brighton.
