AFP is reporting that the Egyptian publisher who was arrested on Saturday – a few days after issuing a book supporting Mohamed ElBaradei, a possible candidate in next year's presidential election – has now been released.

The publisher, Ahmed Mahanna, was abducted during a dawn raidon his home. No official reason was given but copies of the offending book, "ElBaradei and the Dream of the Green Revolution" were also seized.

Last month, a physiotherapist who had voiced support for ElBaradei was summoned to the State Security headquarters in Fayoum and hospitalised after reportedly being tortured.

ElBaradei himself appears to have been cold-shouldered during an Easter visit to a Coptic church at the weekend – possibly because the church did not want to risk offending the Mubarak regime. Al-Masry al-Youm and Egyptian Chronicles discuss what happened.

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 5 April 2010.