An Egyptian wanted in connection with the London bombings is suspected of being the mastermind, according to English newspapers yesterday. Magdi Al Nashar, who has links to the house in the English city of Leeds where the bombs were made, was described by his friends here as quiet and non-political person. He got his BA in chemistry from Cairo University in 1994 and then later obtained his masters in 1998. He received the National Research Center scholarship in 1999 to study biochemistry in Leeds and has been in Leeds since 2000. According to Hamdi Hamouda, the head of the science department in Cairo University, âNashar was one of the top students in the department and was not involved in any political activities nor did he spout extreme ideas. He was actually a very private and quiet student who cared only about his studies.â | "He's a quiet boy, keeps to himself..." |
According to British media, Nasharâs rented house in Leeds was one of six raided by British police on Wednesday, and bomb-making equipment may have been found there. Nashar had been an assistant professor at Leeds University but, according to reports, left Britain just before last weekâs attacks in the British capital. The US television network ABC said that Nashar rented a flat in Leeds three weeks before the attacks which was used to make the four bombs used by the suicide attackers.