On 20 June 2019, the journalist and his family were arrested at Cairo airport, and their passports were withdrawn by officers of the National Security Apparatus before allowing them to leave the airport. When the journalist went to his home, he received a phone call from a National Security officer at Cairo airport asking him to come to the airport to take the passports. However, upon his arrival to the airport, he was taken to an unknown destination, where he remained missing until he appeared before Supreme State Security Prosecution for investigated into the Case No. 1365 of 2018, Supreme State Security, on charges of: joining a terrorist group and spreading false news and information. He had been kept in pretrial detention until he was ordered released on bail on 5 December 2019. The journalist was then transferred to the Hadaeq El-Kobba Police Station after paying the bail in preparation for his release. However, he has been illegally held in police custody for a month, and was brought again before the Supreme State Security Prosecution which interrogated him in Case No. 1956 of 2019 Supreme State Security on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news. The journalist is now being held in remand detention.