Beirut, Lebanon (CNN) -- A member of the Shiite militia Hezbollah, who escaped from an Egyptian prison during the recent unrest there, made a surprise appearance Wednesday at a Hezbollah rally in Beirut.
The Hezbollah television network al Manar showed Sami Shehab being greeted by rapturous applause as he took the stage at the rally in a southern suburb of Beirut to mark the group's martyrs' day.
Shehab, also known as Mohammed Yusuf Mansour, was accused by Egyptian authorities of leading a Hezbollah cell in Egypt and planning attacks in Egypt. He had been in prison for nearly two years before escaping on February 3 along with several members of the Palestinian Islamic group Hamas, Hezbollah officials said.
He was described as a "brother in our struggle" as he joined a group of Hezbollah officials on stage.
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