Google's MENA Head of Marketing Missing in Egypt

Wael Ghonim, Google's Head of Marketing - Middle East & North Africa (MENA), is missing in Egypt after attending a conference in Cairo last week.

Before his disappearance, Ghonim used Twitter to describe being caught up in the anti-government protests, which have been taking place across the country for more than a week.

In one message, he said he would be attending the Gam'et Dewal protest, and that he intended to head to Tahir Square to 'feel the pain of millions of my fellow Egyptians'.

Ghonim was last heard of on 27 January, when he said the Egyptian government is planning a war crime against its people. 'We are ready to die,' he added.

Ghonim, who is based in Dubai, joined the search giant as a Product & Marketing Manager in 2008, and was promoted to his current role a year ago. Earlier in his career, he served as Marketing & Sales Manager at e-mail solutions provider Gawab.com.

Reports on Al-Jazeera television suggests that Ghonim's family received a call earlier in the week in the middle of the night, apparently from government officials, telling them Ghonim is 'being taught a lesson'.

Google, which has temporarily closed its office in Cairo, said in a statement: 'The safety of our employees is paramount, so if anyone has any information please call the following UK number: +44 20 7031 3008 or e-mail us at infoaboutwael@google.com '.

At the start of the protests, the Egyptian government imposed an Internet blackout. To counter this, Google and Twitter pulled together the technology needed for the Speak2Tweet service to convert voice calls into tweets.