UAE arrests Egyptian presidential candidate

By Rabei Abu Zamil

CAIRO (AA) - United Arab Emirates authorities on Saturday arrested Ahmed Shafiq, former Egyptian prime minister and candidate in the upcoming Egyptian presidential elections, his lawyer said.

"The authorities in UAE have arrested Shafiq at his house in order to deport him to Egypt," Dina Adly said on her official Facebook page.

It was not possible for Anadolu Agency to get immediate comment from UAE authorities on the lawyer’s statements.

Shafiq -- the last prime minister of Egypt’s Mubarak era -- announced late last month that he was planning to run in presidential elections scheduled in 2018.

Shafiq, 76, briefly served as prime minister under autocratic President Hosni Mubarak, who stepped down in early 2011 following 18 days of popular demonstrations against his regime.

In Egypt’s first-ever free presidential election in 2012, Shafiq lost -- by a narrow margin -- to Mohamed Morsi, a leader of the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood group. He has been residing in UAE since then.