Egyptian blogger and human rights activist Wael Abbas was stopped at Cairo airport by security officers early on Tuesday morning as he was returning home from a conference in Sweden, sources told Menassat. Security officers temporarily confiscated Abbas' passport and then proceeded by searching his personal belongings.

"They're checking every single paper in his bag. I can see him from out here," Egyptan blogger Wa7damasrya who was at the airport waiting for Abbas told Menassat.

As of 10:30am Beirut time, Abbas was still having his belongings searched by airport security. He has been able to access his Twitter account, from which he has been providing updates on the situation.

At 10:15 am, Abbas wrote in a tweet that his laptop and papers from the conference had been confiscated.

"I think I'm set up. They're searching me like crazy. They don't want to give me my laptop back," tweeted Abbas.

Abbas had attended Talberg Forum, a yearly conference held in the north of Sweden, often attended by several hundreds of participants from around the world, "to talk about and reflect upon the challenges and opportunities that stem from global interdependence," the event's website states.