Missouri Student and Two Others in Egypt Still Not Released–Nixon Issues Statement on Pending Release

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon issued a statement Friday on the pending release of Jefferson City college student Derrik Sweeney by Egyptian officials.

“During this holiday season, the First Lady and I are thankful that Derrick Sweeney will be reunited with his family. Our family has known Derrick for many years, and he is a bright young man with great promise and potential. We are pleased that he will be home soon.”

Nixon’s office says their sons attended Jefferson City schools with Sweeney.

Here’s an AP write-up of the latest developments, which seems to indicate the students are not free yet, but are “being processed”:

Three American students arrested during a protest in Cairo and ordered released by an Egyptian court are in the midst of being processed by authorities there, a U.S. Embassy spokeswoman said Friday.

Katharina Gollner-Sweet, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, told The Associated Press that  Derrik Sweeney, Luke Gates and Gregory Porter are being processed for their eventual release one day after a court ordered them released from police custody,  according to information from Egyptian officials. 

 “According to the latest information that the Egyptians gave out they were ordered released in the court but they are in an administrative out-processing stage,” Gollner-Sweet said.

“We are continuing to provide normal consular situations. I don’t know exactly where they are.”

The three U.S. college students, who attend the American University in Cairo, were arrested on the roof of a university building near Cairo’s iconic Tahrir Square on Sunday. Officials accused them of throwing firebombs at security forces fighting with protesters.

A court in Egypt ordered the release of the students, a lawyer in Philadelphia confirmed Thursday.