The Latest: Trump says ‘no deal’ was made for charity worker

WASHINGTON – The Latest on the release of an Egyptian-American charity worker (all times local):

3 p.m.

President Donald Trump says “no deal” was made to secure the release of an Egyptian-American charity worker.

Trump, in an interview with The Associated Press, says he asked Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi (AHB’-del fat-AH’ el-SEE’-see) to release her when they met last month.

Trump met with 30-year-old Aya Hijazi at the White House Friday, the day after she arrived back in the United States after nearly three years of detention in Egypt.

The president dinged his predecessor for not being able to secure her release, saying President Barack Obama “worked on it for three years, got zippo.”

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11:58 a.m.

President Donald Trump met Friday at the White House with an Egyptian-American charity worker who was freed after nearly three years of detention in Egypt.

Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, says that Trump was directly involved in negotiations to free Aya Hijazi. Hijazi and her husband, Mohamed Hassanein, an Egyptian, returned to the Washington area this week.

Earlier this week, a court acquitted Hijazi of charges of child abuse. The charges were widely dismissed as bogus by human rights groups and U.S. officials. She and her husband had established a foundation to aid street children in 2013, but were arrested along with several others in 2014.

Her case was on the agenda when Trump met this month with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.