Egyptian Prosecutor General Maher Abdel-Wahed has indicated that Egyptian biochemist Magdy El-Nashar, arrested in Cairo over suspected involvement in the London bombings, will not be extradited even if he was charged. He said that the country’s constitution bans the extradition of any Egyptian citizen accused of committing crimes abroad to any foreign state, the official MENA news agency reported. Nashar had just arrived in Egypt for a 45-day vacation and planned to return to Britain to complete his studies. (Xinhua, July 16) Egyptian Interior Minister Habib el-Adli told al-Gomhuria newspaper that the foreign media had drawn hasty conclusions about 33-year-old El-Nashar, whose Leeds apartment was raided by police. “Habib el-Adli confirmed that Magdy Elnashar had no connection with al Qaeda,” said the newspaper, which did not quote the minister directly. (Reuters, July 16) A computer found at El-Nashar’s Leeds home is said to have revealed only downloaded music files. (UK Telegraph, July 17)
See our last posts on the mechanics and the politics of the London bombings.
Update
Wire services report Aug. 10 that El-Nashar has been freed and cleared by Egyptian authorities of involvement in the London attacks. (IHT, Aug. 10)