A Palestinian-Syrian refugee who rose to worldwide prominence while stuck in Dubai airport for a fortnight may shortly be deported to Syria, his brother told the Guardian on Wednesday night.

Wael al-Sahlee, a 40-year-old artist and activist, fled Syria for Jordan in late 2012 after becoming a target of the Syrian regime. Banned from working in Jordan, Sahlee wanted to seek a better life in Europe, so in late April he and his nine-year-old son flew via Dubai to Sudan. Their plan was to then travel to Libya, and then from the Libyan coast to Italy.

But in Sudan, visa problems instead saw the Sahlees deported back to Dubai airport, where they lived for two weeks because Sahlee no longer had a valid Jordanian visa. It was a situation that eventually attracted the attention of the world’s press, and after a media storm, they were eventually readmitted back to Jordan on a temporary basis. But the activist’s brief grace period now appears to be up, after his brother disclosed that Sahlee has now been taken to the border with Syria, and awaits deportation.

Thaer al-Sahlee, himself a refugee who reached Europe last year by boat from Libya, said his brother now faces execution. “For sure if the regime catch him he will be dead,” said Thaer. “Wael was wanted by the regime, and he escaped. If he returns back to Syria, he will be killed. It’s no secret.”

If deported, campaigners say Jordan’s decision would be particularly callous as Sahlee has been offered a visa by the German government, who have asked for more time to complete the administrative procedures necessary to transfer him to Germany. On Wednesday night, the German foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation.

Sahlee’s case exemplifies the bureaucratic quagmire faced by the descendants of Palestinian refugees forced from their homes at the time of the creation of the state of Israel. Sahlee’s family settled in Yarmouk, Syria, but they were forced to migrate once again after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war.

For Syrians escaping the war, the onwards options are scarce enough. But there are fewer still open to the 520,000 long-term Palestinian residents of Syria, who in practice are afforded fewer privileges by Middle Eastern countries.

Speaking to the Guardian earlier this month, Chris Gunness, the spokesman for UNRWA, the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees, described Sahlee’s case as “a terrible and very painful example of the added vulnerabilities that Palestinians have. The borders into Jordan and Lebanon have effectively been closed to Palestinians. Other options involve getting through territory controlled by armed groups – and if they’re lucky to get through those then their next options are horrendous: the high seas, where their lives are also at risk.”

Tweeting on Wednesday night, Gunness added: “UNRWA is monitoring case of Wael al-Sahlee & calls on all authorities to offer him protection according to international standards.”

Additional reporting: Manu Abdo