Egypt Frees 3 Americans Detained in Tahrir Square

An Egyptian court has decided to release three Americans arrested during protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square, pending an investigation, the official MENA news agency reported Thursday.

On Wednesday, the prosecutor general ordered the three students of the American University in Cairo be detained for four days.

They had been arrested on Monday along with other protesters at a mass anti-military rally in Tahrir.

Thousands had been converging on the square -- the epicenter of protests that toppled Hosni Mubarak -- to demand the end of military rule and a swift transition to civilian authority.

The suspects had been arrested with a bag allegedly containing water bottle filled with petrol, MENA reported.

Washington said Wednesday it was in "close contact" with Egyptian authorities over the fate of the trio.