( CNN ) -- Saudi Arabia 's ambassador to Egypt returned to Cairo on Saturday after tensions briefly spurred the kingdom to pull its envoys and shutter its missions , Saudi state media reported . Ambassador Ahmad Kattan is expected to resume his duties on Sunday , the Saudi Press Agency said . Saudi Arabia called back Kattan and closed its embassy and consulates last Sunday after raucous protests in Cairo over the imprisonment of Ahmed Mohammed el-Gezawi , an Egyptian human rights lawyer . Throngs of Egyptians had gathered in front of the Saudi Embassy , calling for the release of el-Gezawi . The decision to pull out Saudi diplomats came after protesters ' `` attempts to storm and threaten the security and safety of its ( embassy ) employees , '' the Saudi Press Agency said . Saudi officials say el-Gezawi is accused of trying to smuggle thousands of pills into the country . The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights said el-Gezawi had been traveling during Umrah , a minor pilgrimage to Mecca , when he was detained . `` What has happened in the recent days of repercussions in the relationship between the two countries is painful to every honorable Saudi and Egyptian citizen , and our decision to recall the ambassador and the closure of the embassy were only to protect its employees from other situations that could have developed with dire consequences , '' the Saudi Press Agency said , quoting King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz . `` We will not allow this incidental crisis to prolong . '' The protests and the Saudi reaction appear to have again ratcheted up long-standing tensions between the two Middle Eastern nations . The strains can be traced to 1979 , when the kingdom broke off diplomatic relations after Egypt inked a peace deal with Israel based on the Camp David Accords . The ties were restored in November 1987 . Egypt , the most populous Arab country , has often engaged in `` a subtle competition '' with its Saudi counterparts `` over this question of regional leadership , '' said Steven Cook , senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations . Egypt erupted in protest last year during 18 days of demonstrations in Cairo 's Tahrir Square after similar uprisings in neighboring Tunisia , ultimately ousting Egypt 's longtime president Hosni Mubarak after nearly three decades in power .
Ambassador Ahmad Kattan is expected to resume his duties Sunday . The ambassador was pulled after protests in front of the Saudi Embassy . The protests and the Saudi reaction ratcheted up long-standing tensions between the two nations .