'No al-Qaeda link' to suspect/Egypt

AN EGYPTIAN official today said Egyptian citizen Magdy Mahmud Mustafa Nashar, who was arrested in Cairo on suspicion of involvement in the London bombings, had "no links with the al-Qaeda network". Egyptian Interior Minister Habib al-Adly made a statement published by the Al-Gumhuriya newspaper, saying media reports about Mr Nashar, 33, "are unfounded and are only hasty deductions".

Mr Adly said "the reports that British officers had interrogated him before Egyptian officials lacked details", but did not rule out that British investigators had taken part in the questioning. His ministry said last night that Mr Nashar "is being investigated to find out whether he was involved in the bombings that recently took place in London". An interior ministry statement said the suspect "has denied any involvement in the London bombings". "He said he had gone to Britain to study at Leeds University and has resided in Britain since 2000 until now to obtain his doctorate, which he did earlier this year. "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." The statement said "the investigation would go on".

Mr Nashar was arrested in Cairo's southern suburb of Maadi, in the working class neighbourhood of Bassatin, security sources said. In its report of the arrest, the US network ABC News reported the suspect might be the bombmaker behind the attacks on three Underground trains and a double-decker bus that killed at least 54 people, including Australian man Sam Ly, and wounded some 700 others.


British police said they were "aware" of an arrest in Egypt in connection with the investigation into last week's London bombings. "We are aware of an arrest made in Cairo, but are not prepared to discuss if we may or may not wish to interview (the person) in connection with this investigation," a spokeswoman for London's Metropolitan Police said.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,15947273%255E1702,00.html

Looks like the trail went cold. The USA would have sent this guy to Guantanamo to torture him and abuse hi, and we would have never heard a word from him as to whether there was any evidence to hold him.

Last Updated: Saturday, 16 July, 2005, 08:38 GMT 09:38 UK

Biochemist has 'no al-Qaeda link'

An Egyptian biochemist held for questioning over the London bomb attacks has no links to al-Qaeda, Egypt's interior minister has said.

Habib al-Adli told Egyptian newspaper Al-Jumhuriyah media speculation about Magdi Mahmoud al-Nashar was groundless.

He also denied agents of the British security services had participated in Mr al-Nashar's interrogation in Cairo.

Unofficial sources in Cairo and London say British agents are observing the 33-year-old's ongoing interrogation.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4688501.stm

find and arrest him so quickly. I guess that he was at his familiy's home.

Mr al-Nashar "had told investigators he was on holiday, all his belongings remained in the UK and he planned to return there, the ministry said in a statement."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4688501.stm

Investigators found TATP in the Leeds apartment rented by Magdy el-Nashar, an Egyptian biochemist detained in Cairo for questioning, one of the three sources told CNN.
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/07/16/london.attacks/

If this is indeed the case, why didn't he hide?

An Egyptian biochemist held for questioning over the London bomb attacks has no links to al-Qaeda, Egypt's interior minister has said.
Habib al-Adli told Egyptian newspaper Al-Jumhuriyah media speculation about Magdi Mahmoud al-Nashar was groundless.

He also denied agents of the British security services had participated in Mr al-Nashar's interrogation in Cairo.

Unofficial sources in Cairo and London say British agents are observing the 33-year-old's ongoing interrogation.

The Egyptians are doing everything possible to cooperate, the sources say.

more:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4688501.stm

Unless the Brits had next to nothing in the first place, how can Egypt, in less than a day, state that so categorically?

"there's no evidence of a link to al-Qa'ida"?

Or did they find a magical way of ascertaining that he had never spoken about or planned such a thing with a person from al-Qa'ida, knowingly or not?

Also, does anybody have some reasoned speculation on which way Egypt would want the presence or absence of links to go? Would Mubarak's folk want to publicize a link if they uncovered one, or would they have motivation for denying a link even if they did find one? After all, they have their little Muslim Brotherhood problem.

Mohammed el-Nashar -- who is a 28-year-old musician -- was interviewed in the lower-middle-class neighborhood of Basatin in southern Cairo. He said his brother was staying with him and his parents, who are in ailing health, since June 30.
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/07/16/egypt.elnashar/

Very odd behaviour if you have explosives in your flat in England. Perhaps the information about the explosives was wrong?

This may just mean he had no Al Qaeda connection until recruited in Britain.

his OSP connections instead.