Ibrahim Halawa was reunited with his family on Tuesday morning when they welcomed him at Dublin Airport for the first time since his arrest in August 2013.
Halawa was released last Thursday after spending four years in an Egyptian prison.
Speaking to reporters shortly after his arrival in Dublin Airport, he said: “It still feels like a dream. This is the moment I’ve waited for for four years.
“It’s a dream come true. It’s impossible that I’m really here. I didn’t think it would come through any time soon.”
He thanked Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney, Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan, and others for assisting in his release, and said he wanted to spend time with his family.
“I need to get some medical check-ups. I’m going to be taking some time off. My mum is sick, so I need to spend some time by her side. We need to get some family time as well,” he said.
Halawa was accompanied by his father Sheikh Hussein Halawa, Ambassador Seán O’Regan and Minister for Children Katherine Zappone when he came down through the elevator to meet the crowd at the airport.
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