Irish man Ibrahim Halawa has thanked all those involved in his being freed from prison in Egypt.

The 21-year-old Dubliner was freed from custody in Cairo at around 11.00pm Irish time on Thursday night.

The Irish embassy is providing support to Mr Halawa.

It comes a month after he was acquitted of all charges connected to mass protests in Cairo in August 2013.

Speaking in Brussels earlier, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he was "really delighted" to hear about his release.

He said: "He's receiving full consular assistance at the moment, so we're helping him to get back to Ireland where he'll be reunited with his family - and hopefully he'll get on with his life and his studies.

"He's spent far too long in Egyptian prison. I'm delighted that he's now out [...] I'd ask people to respect his family's wishes for privacy."

In a Facebook post, Mr Halawa said: "Finally the day where I can see the sky without bars, smell fresh air , walk freely and smile deeply from the bottom of my heart.

"But I miss one thing and it's being home.

He added: "I wanna thank the team at the embassy who worked very hard.

"The ambassador Sean O'Regan, former ambassador Damien Cole, Shane Gleeson, Vincent Herlihy.

"Thank you to everyone who helped I love you all."

It is thought Mr Halawa could arrive back in Dublin on Sunday or Monday.