Mohammad Soltan Released From Egyptian Prison

Mohammad Soltan, an Egyptian-American and son of senior Muslim Brotherhood leader, Salah Soltan, has been released from an Egyptian prison. Mohammad had been sentenced to life in prison due to his prominent role in the violent Muslim Brotherhood protests held in Cairo, Egypt.

These protests were in response to the overthrow of former Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi by the Egyptian military in 2013. Mohammad was forced to relinquish his Egyptian nationality as a condition of his release, though he opposed the condition at first. He arrived this past Saturday night at Dulles International Airport in Virginia after spending approximately two and a half years in Egypt. Mohammad’s father, Salah Soltan, will remain sentenced to death in Egypt for the time being on charges of inciting murder.

As counterterrorism investigative reporter Patrick Poole notes for PJ Media, the younger Soltan, during his time spent in Egypt, attempted to portray himself as a humanitarian activist who had no political affiliation. This activist guise, however, is contrary to many of his past actions.

On January 2, 2009, Soltan, who lived in Ohio and is an Ohio State graduate, led an anti-Israel protest outside of the Ohio Statehouse, where Soltan led the crowd in chanting “Khaybar Khaybar, ya yahud, Jaish Muhammad, saya’ud” (Remember Khaybar, Oh Jews, the Army of Mohammed Will Return,) referring to the defeat and genocidal laughter of Arabian Jews by the early Muslims after the battle of Khybar.

Also contrary to claims of a humanitarian disposition would be the “Islamophobic” hate crime that Soltan allegedly attempted to fake back in January 2012 by setting the family home on fire. Mohammad tried to claim that media reports regarding the Soltan Family’s Muslim Brotherhood associations incited the arson.

Soltan fled to Egypt in February 2013 when investigators began questioning his involvement in the fire.

Despite his history, there’s a buzz on social media to Mohammad’s return to the US. Part of the excitement surrounding Soltan’s release revolves around his declining health conditions following his year-long hunger strike.

Other Soltan supporters are pleased to see the “wrongly accused” released, and have expressed their disapproval of the post-Morsi Egyptian regime and sentiments of Soltan’s captivity can be seen under numerous “#FreeSoltan” posts that span across Twitter.

While emotions surrounding Soltan’s return to the US vary, future consequences of his release remain unknown. Soltan will remain in the care of his family for the near future in order to address his health concerns, but upon recovery we can expect Soltan to return to the family business of Muslim Brotherhood activities, perhaps capitalizing on his newly found celebrity status.