Egyptian 'expressed sorrow' over attacks
CAIRO, Egypt (CNN) -- The Egyptian biochemist now in detention and being questioned in connection with the London attacks expressed sorrow over those strikes right after they occurred, the man's brother maintains. Mohammed el-Nashar -- interviewed by CNN on Saturday -- attempted to dispel an emerging image of his detained brother, Magdy, as a radical and a militant. He said his brother Magdy loved England, noted that he was treated well there and planned on returning to Britain for study. El-Nashar earned an advanced degree in England and studied, for a brief period, in the United States. Egypt's Interior Ministry has said in a written statement that Magdy el-Nashar "denied any relationship to what happened recently in London" and that expression jibes with the words of his brother. 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. He said there has been no word from authorities about where his brother is, how he is being treated, and developments in the investigation. Egyptian security sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Magdy el-Nashar was detained Thursday night and were questioning him in connection with the London attacks. But the family said it is not clear why, when or how he was detained. The family -- the brother and their parents -- last saw Magdy on the day of his arrest, Mohammed said. He slept past early afternoon prayers and then, clad in a track suit, headed over to a mosque for late afternoon prayers. That was the last time family members saw him. They don't know whether he was arrested before or after prayers. Police later confiscated computers and papers from the parents' house, the brother said. Mohammed described Magdy as a peaceful, generous man who was religious but not particularly devout and he said that his brother is divorced and has a 3-year-old daughter. British and U.S. authorities have said investigators were hoping to question el-Nashar in connection with last week's bombings. Magdy el- Nashar has a doctorate in biochemistry from Leeds University, about 200 miles north of London. El-Nashar spent time at North Carolina State studying chemical engineering in 2000. The brother said an Egyptian government scholarship enabled him to study in the United States and England. The Egyptian Ministry of Interior said he earned a bachelor's degree in 1994 from Cairo University. Mohammed el-Nashar said he wasn't aware that his brother traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan, where many militants have been trained. Investigators this week have searched several homes in Leeds, including el-Nashar's rented flat. At one point they sent a bomb squad into the apartment. Authorities continued to piece through the flat Friday, but did not say what they found. A knowledgeable source told CNN that investigators found TATP -- an explosive commonly used by terrorist groups -- inside the home. Magdy el-Nashar, 33, lived in Britain since 2000. But he left Britain on a study break and planned to return to continue his studies, the Egyptian Interior Ministry said. Find this article at: http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/07/16/egypt.elnashar/index.htm l Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
