‘They are beating me’: Irish woman in Egypt tells family

An Irish citizen caught up in the violence in Egypt told family here she was being beaten by security forces as she and her three siblings were removed from a mosque where they had taken refuge from fighting in the street.

They were the last words heard from Fatima Halawa, 23, from Firhouse, Dublin before the mobile phone she had been using to keep family members updated went dead on Saturday afternoon.

Intensive diplomatic efforts were continuing last night to ensure the safety of Ms Halawa, her sisters, Omaima, 21, and Somaia, 27, and their 17-year-old brother, Ibrihim, who were understood to be detained in a Cairo prison after the al-Fath mosque was stormed.