Ex-Egyptian PM denies he was kidnapped

World
Europe

The former Egyptian prime minister Ahmed Shafiq has denied reports that he was kidnapped, in a phone interview on live TV.

A report on BBC News said Shafiq's family had voiced fears of foul play, saying they were unable to contact him after he landed in Egypt.

Shafiq was deported from the UAE on Saturday after five years in exile.

The deportation came after Shafiq stated his intention to run for the presidency of Egypt in 2018. Shafiq said that he was still weighing his run in next year’s election.

Shafiq’s comments on a private Cairo television station came a day after his family said he had been taken from their home in the Emirates and deported back to Egypt, where they said they had lost contact with him until late on Sunday.

Egypt's former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq speaks during an interview with Reuters at his residence in Abu Dhabi, February 6, 2013. /Reuters Photo

Shafiq, a former air force chief and government minister, has been seen by critics of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as the strongest potential challenger to the president, who is expected to run for a second term next year.

Shafiq fled to the UAE after losing the 2012 presidential election to Mohammed Morsi, who issued an arrest warrant for him on corruption charges, according to the BBC News.

President Sisi is widely expected to run for a second term, although he has not yet confirmed his candidacy. It is thought that Shafiq may be his main rival in the poll.

Flyers of Egyptian presidential candidate and former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq are seen on the ground outside his campaign headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, May 28, 2012. /Reuters Photo

Shafiq was appointed prime minister in the final days of Hosni Mubarak's presidency in 2011.

He stayed in the post just three weeks after the Egyptian revolution ended, when he was forced to step down because of his links to the ousted president.

Separately, another potential presidential candidate, Col Ahmed Konsowa, has been arrested, according to Egyptian media reports.

The Al-Mesryoon newspaper said he was arrested for an investigation into "publishing a politically-affiliated video and abuse of his military post."