Abducted British aid worker Tauqir Sharif, also known as ‘Tox’, was released this past Tuesday. The New Arab reports that he been held for more than three months by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, in Idlib province, Syria.

Sharif was detained by HTS on August 11 as he attended a hearing relating to his previous ‘arrest’ in June. His family said that he had been tortured and mistreated during his first ‘detention’, which lasted for about a month.

Late Wednesday, his family tweeted: “Alhamdulillah @toxaidworker has been released from prison by HTS & is on his way back to his family in #Syria. Jazakallahu khair & thank you to everyone for your continuous support & prayers. We really appreciate it.”

According to the New Arab, British national, Sharif, arrived in Syria in 2012. He founded, together with his wife, an aid organization there. However, Britain stripped him of his  citizenship in 2017, as a result of which he and his family are stuck in Syria. His eldest daughter has also reportedly been denied British citizenship.

Sharif, meanwhile, has denied any links to armed groups operating in Idlib, saying  that the suffering he saw in the media motivated him to go to Syria to carry out aid work there.

British activist Moazzam Begg tweeted: “Tauqir Sharif was freed by HTS today. He’s been missed by his family, community and projects he oversees. May Allah bless him for his work and patience.” He further tweeted, referring to American journalist, Bilal Abdul Kareem: “Abdul Kareem Next, #FreeBilalAbdulKareem. We must all continue to work to seek his release.” Bilal Abdul Kareem was also detained by HTS in August.

Umm Muhammed Umar