An Egyptian Olympic wrestler who was arrested in Paris during the Olympics on allegations of sexual assault has been released from police custody, and all charges have been dropped, French authorities announced on Saturday. Mohamed Ibrahim el-Sayed, who won a bronze medal in Tokyo, was arrested early Friday morning after reportedly groping a woman from behind outside a café in Paris.
A statement from the Paris prosecutor’s office revealed on Saturday that the detention of the 26-year-old Egyptian wrestler, whose name was not disclosed, “has been lifted, and all legal proceedings against him have been concluded without further action, as the crime is assessed to be insufficiently serious.”
The Egyptian Olympic Committee stated on Saturday that the investigation into the allegations of sexual harassment against el-Sayed has been closed. The statement added that the wrestler’s release occurred after a review of surveillance footage from the incident.
El-Sayed is a Greco-Roman wrestler competing in the weight class up to 67 kg. He participated in one match in Paris, where he lost 9-0 to Azerbaijan’s Hasrat Jafarov on Wednesday. Additionally, el-Sayed is a five-time African champion and a two-time world champion among under-23 wrestlers.
The Paris Olympics continue to attract international attention, but this incident has cast a brief, negative shadow over the event.