UK orders urgent review after Egyptian activist's violent posts spark uproar

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on Monday ordered an urgent review into what she said were "serious information failures" in the case of a British-Egyptian activist who was awarded citizenship despite "abhorrent" past social media posts.

Alaa Abdel Fattah earlier Monday apologised over the resurfaced posts in which he called for violence against Zionists and police, as opposition lawmakers urged the UK government to revoke his citizenship.

The posts, dating back to 2010, came to light just days after Abdel Fattah returned to Britain following years of diplomatic efforts by London to secure his release from detention in Egypt.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer previously said he was "delighted" he had been reunited with his loved ones. His office has now said he was unaware of the tweets until after he arrived in the country.

In a letter to the chair of parliament's foreign affairs committee later Monday, Cooper said she had ordered a review as it was clear there had been "an unacceptable failure" in the handling of the case.

She said this had led to successive ministers and prime ministers, including Starmer, being unaware of the posts when they made public statements.

Starmer added in a separate post that the historic tweets were "absolutely abhorrent".

"With the rise of antisemitism, and recent horrific attacks, I know this has added to the distress of many in the Jewish community in the UK," he wrote.

Abdel Fattah apologised in a statement.

"Looking at the tweets now -- the ones that were not completely twisted out of their meaning -- I do understand how shocking and hurtful they are, and for that I unequivocally apologise," he said.

"I must also stress that some tweets have been completely misunderstood, seemingly in bad faith," he added.

Abdel Fattah was a leading voice in Egypt's 2011 Arab Spring uprising.

He was detained in Egypt in September 2019, and in December 2021 was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of spreading false news.

He went on hunger strike this March while behind bars and was later released after being pardoned by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi in September.

- 'Abhorrent' posts condemned -

The foreign ministry on Sunday said it had been "a long-standing priority under successive governments" to work for his release, while condemning the content of the posts.

Abdel Fattah was granted UK citizenship in December 2021 when the Conservatives were in power.

He obtained it through his British-born mother, who herself went on hunger strike during her son's imprisonment.

"If the Prime Minister really was unaware that El Fattah was an extremist, he should immediately retract his comments expressing 'delight' at his arrival and begin proceedings to revoke his citizenship and deport him," the Conservatives' justice spokesman, Robert Jenrick, posted on X.

Anti-immigrant firebrand Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party, wrote a letter to interior minister Shabana Mahmood urging her to "order" the deportation of Abdel Fattah.

"It should go without saying that anyone who possesses racist and anti-British views such as those of Mr el-Fattah should not be allowed into the UK," Farage wrote.

Starmer's official spokesman told reporters citizenship can only be revoked from Britons who obtain it "by fraud, or against the most dangerous individuals, such as terrorists, extremists and serious organized criminals".

"There is a high bar to meet these thresholds," the spokesman said.

Abdel Fattah arrived in the UK last Friday after Egypt's attorney general lifted an apparent travel ban.

Abdel Fattah was nominated for the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize in 2014 but the group backing him withdrew the nomination for the human rights award, saying they had discovered a tweet from 2012 in which he called for the murder of Israelis.

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