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Africa: North
Egyptian Ministry Denies El-Nashar’s Al-Qaeda Link
2005-07-17
The Egyptian Ministry of Interior said yesterday that Magdy El-Nashar, the 33-year-old chemist, an Egyptian who was arrested in Cairo over the London bombings, had no links with Al-Qaeda. “El-Nashar who was arrested on Thursday has no link with Al-Qaeda; so far we don’t know if he is innocent or not. The British Scotland Yard will attend the investigation within the next 48 hours,” said the Egyptian Minister of Interior, Habib El-Adly.

The postgraduate biochemist, detained in Cairo, yesterday denied any link to the London bombings. “He said he had come back to Egypt for a month-and-a-half holiday and was planning to go back to Britain to resume his studies and that all his belongings are still in his flat in Leeds,” said Mahmoud Al-Fishawi, head of the information department at the Ministry of Interior. El-Nashar’s doctorate at Leeds, on which he started research in October 2000, focused on the “development of a novel matrix for the immobilization of enzymes for biotechnology”. In a statement issued yesterday, the Judges Club said if Al-Fishawi [sic!] is proved to be guilty, they will refuse to let him be tried in England. The Bar Association has already filed a request at the ministry asking for a permission to attend the investigation. “So far the ministry has not given us a word, but El-Nashar has a right to have someone to defend him,” said Montasser Al-Zayat, who represents the Freedom Committee of the Bar Association.
Posted by:Fred

#10  Muburak is probably thinking turn about is fair play. Half of Al-Jihad's leadership has been given asylum in Britain and Egypt's request for their extradition have been repeatedly denied.
Posted by: Paul Moloney   2005-07-17 20:32  

#9  And the UK left East of Suez. Piss poor move on Ikes part.
Posted by: Shipman   2005-07-17 19:48  

#8  What WU said, it was IKE that did the dirty deed.
Posted by: Shipman   2005-07-17 19:47  

#7  Steve White

Your memory is failing. The Egyptian army had its a ss kicked whenver it tried to battle anyone of the three opposing powers (against the Israelis most of the time the Egyptians simply fled according to the book written by Moshe Dayan).

It was the Eisenhower administration pressuring who forced the Israelis out of Sinai and the Franco-British out of Suez.
Posted by: Whater Ulaviger2430   2005-07-17 14:50  

#6  As the UK, France and Israel have proved Egypts control of the Suez is by the leave of others, not because Egypt can even start to defend it.
Posted by: Sock Puppet 0’ Doom   2005-07-17 14:00  

#5  I don't think the Egyptians will be scared of the Brits. Nasser faced them down in '56 over the Suez, and both sides remember who won that one: the Brits no longer control the Canal.

Nope, we're going to need more eloquent means of persuasion.
Posted by: Steve White   2005-07-17 13:50  

#4  How does Al-Fishawi explain El-Nashar's renting the flat used by the terrorists?

By all means, let's give them a few more billions of dollars!
Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever)   2005-07-17 13:18  

#3  And it's getting time for that friend to empty the purse, permanently. US $2 billion/year buys a lot of bullets.... or bunker busters.
Posted by: trailing wife   2005-07-17 07:33  

#2  You are probably correct,SPOD.But one of Britain's dearest friends holds Egypt's purse strings.
Posted by: raptor   2005-07-17 07:16  

#1  I would think a visit by the UK Ambassador to Egypt is in order, so that he might remind them that the UK maintains a ready stock of thermoneculear weapons. Just in case they intend to engage in typical mideastern asshattery they can be disabused of that idea. (If only Blair had the balls.) Well, one can dream, can't one?
Posted by: Sock Puppet 0’ Doom   2005-07-17 00:41  

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