The U.S. State Department has been informed by a relative of Google executive Wael Ghonim that he has been released in Egypt, a senior U.S. official said on Monday.

The official had no more immediate details on Ghonim, Google's head of marketing for the Middle East and North Africa, who had not been seen since January 27 as anti-government protests rocked Egypt.

(Reporting by Andrew Quinn; Editing by Sandra Maler)