Foreign Secretary Orders Review into Alaa Abd El-Fattah Case Following Social Media Posts
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has ordered an urgent review within the Foreign Office after serious information failures were identified in the case of British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah. The focus of the review is on due diligence regarding high-profile consular and human-rights cases, particularly following the emergence of Abd El-Fattah's abhorrent social media posts dating back to 2010. These posts, which called for violence against Zionists, were not previously briefed to successive prime ministers or civil servants.
Abd El-Fattah has issued an unequivocal apology for these posts, stating that some were twisted and acknowledging that he should have known better. He was detained in Egypt from September 2019 and sentenced to five years in prison in December 2021 for spreading false news. In September 2025, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi pardoned him, allowing Abd El-Fattah to return to the UK to be with his family. He had been granted UK citizenship in December 2021 through his UK-born mother.
There are currently no plans to revoke Abd El-Fattah's British citizenship, and the law does not provide grounds for his deportation. No. 10 has defended the government's handling of the case while condemning the historic tweets. The government continues to emphasize its commitment to religious and political freedom and has welcomed Abd El-Fattah's return to the UK.
