People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy released from Egyptian custody

Paul Murphy travelled to Egypt last week as part of the Global March to Gaza group and said on Monday he was currently being detained in a Cairo police station

Paul Murphy outside Leinster House ahead of his trip to Egypt. Picture: Sam Boal/Collins

People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy has been released from custody and is due to fly home from Egypt on Tuesday after he was detained for a second time today.

There was concern on Monday afternoon when Mr Murphy said he was being detained at a police station in Cairo, followed by a message that read "taking phone" and then no contact for several hours.

Once free from custody, Mr Murphy confirmed his release on X, thanking people for their support and warning that others from the Global March to Gaza group with whom he was travelling were still detained.

"Will comment further when I've left Egypt. Free Palestine," Mr Murphy said.

The Dublin TD travelled to Egypt last week as part of the Global March to Gaza group, which was to march across the Sinai Desert to the Rafah border to call for the opening of the crossing and the delivery of aid to Palestinians.

However, on Friday, Mr Murphy and numerous others were stopped, detained by authorities and had their passports and phones taken, before being taken to the airport.

In a message on Monday, Mr Murphy said he was currently being detained in a Cairo police station after he was advised by the Irish embassy to go to the airport to retrieve his phone.

They took my passport again, had me talk to the secret police and left me in a room with an interpreter. 

"They claim they are looking for my phone," said Mr Murphy, using a new phone he had obtained over the weekend.

"I just attempted to leave but they said that I cannot leave. I understand that other march participants have also been detained."

Mr Murphy's partner, Dublin councillor Jess Spear, appealed to the Tánaiste and foreign affairs minister Simon Harris to urgently intervene.

On Monday evening, the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed it is providing consular assistance in this case.

Consular assistance is provided on a confidential basis and therefore the Department does not comment on the details of individual cases, a spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Global March to Gaza said two international coordinators were detained over the weekend, French citizen Hicham El Ghaoui and Spanish citizen Manuel Tapial.

Mr Tapial was said to have been deported in the early hours of Monday morning. Mr El Ghaoui is currently being processed for deportation.

"We are working with embassies and will provide information about other detainees and deportations soon," the group said in a statement.

"We call on all relevant embassies to intervene on behalf of other march participants who have been detained or deported despite acting fully within the bounds of Egyptian law and entering the country legally and peacefully."