Human Rights Watch calls on Egypt to reveal the whereabouts of...

Human Rights Watch called on the Egyptian authorities to reveal the whereabouts of a man accused of involvement in violent attacks.

Hossam Menoufi Salam was arrested earlier this month after the plane he was on suddenly landed at an Egyptian airport.

Salam has not been seen or known since then.

Human Rights Watch says the authorities should make public the legal basis for his arrest.

A statement by the organization stated: “Hossam Menoufy Mahmoud Salam (29 years), an Egyptian, was traveling on a direct flight between Khartoum and Istanbul when the plane suddenly landed at Luxor Airport in Egypt,” where he was arrested by the security forces.

Human Rights Watch added that Salam was “last seen in the custody of Egyptian officials.” And it demanded “the Egyptian government to immediately disclose his place of detention and to allow his lawyer and his family to meet with him.”

Salam moved to Sudan in 2016 for fear of government persecution.

Egyptian official media claim that he is the founder of the “Hasm” movement, which is believed to be linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, and that it carried out a number of bombings and assassinations.

Salam’s plane was on its way from Khartoum to Istanbul.

It was announced that the official reason for landing at Luxor Airport was that the smoke detection system had stopped working.

Salam was seen for the last time after the security forces seized him.

Salam was sentenced in absentia in 2017 to life imprisonment.

His family and supporters say he was a well-known supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, but they deny his involvement with the “Hasm” movement.