Ahmed Shafiq denies kidnapping, reconsiders Presidential bid

Former Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq has re-emerged in Cairo following fears he may have been kidnapped upon his return to Egypt from the United Arab Emirates on Saturday.

After losing contact with Shafiq after his arrival at a military airport, his daughter told Reuters she considered him "kidnapped".

However a statement from his lawyer Dina Adly released Sunday night said that his health was good and that he was not subject to any investigations by Egyptian authorities.

"I had a meeting with Shafiq an hour ago at one of the hotels in Maadi," Adly wrote on Facebook.

Shortly after the lawyer’s statement, Shafiq himself gave a telephone interview to Dream 2 TV channel reiterating that he had not been detained or kidnapped.

However, he said that he may reconsider participating in the Egyptian elections after he had reaquainted himself with his native country.

Shafiq's candidacy would see him stand against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has yet to officially declare his candidacy. It seems certain, however, that Sisi will run and dominate what are expected to be tightly controlled elections next year.

Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Hassan Shoukry said on Friday that he saw "no reason" why the country's ex-premier should not run for president.

A former aviation minister and air force general, Shafiq was hastily appointed prime minister by Hosni Mubarak in 2011 before the longtime leader was ousted by a popular uprising.

Shafiq did not last long in the job after Mubarak's overthrow and in the presidential race held the following year finished closely behind the winner, Mohammad Morsi.

Shafiq, who left Egypt in 2012 for the UAE, was tried in absentia on corruption charges after his election defeat but was acquitted.

The UAE has been a firm supporter of President Sisi and have been linked to the military coup that overthrew Egypt's first democratically-elected government led by Morsi in 2013.