Qatar-based satellite channel Al Jazeera said six of its English service journalists were freed in Egypt on Monday after being detained, a day after the news network was told to shut down its operations in the country.
The news channel, which says it can reach 220 million households in more than 100 countries, also had its satellite signal to some parts of the Middle East cut on Sunday as tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Egypt demanding an end to President Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year rule.
Al Jazeera reported the release in Cairo in a news alert on its Arabic channel. Security forces also seized a camera from its staff, it said.
Earlier, Egyptian authorities ordered it to stop operations in Egypt, though correspondents were still reporting news by telephone. Egypt’s Nilesat satellite company also stopped broadcasting Al Jazeera’s signal.
The U.S. State Department earlier called for the release of the Al Jazeera journalists.
Launched in Qatar in 1996, Al Jazeera has more than 400 reporters in over 60 countries, according to its website. Reuters
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