Extradition by Ecuador

By Jailan Halawi

The suspect, Mohamed Abdel-Aal, was arrested by the Colombian state security agency at a bus terminal in the capital, Bogota, on 17 October. He was described as a "highly dangerous terrorist" and a leading member of the underground Al-Gama'a Al-Islamiya. He was sent back to Ecuador, from where he had travelled.

He was deported from Ecuador on 25 October but the police did not reveal which country he had been sent to.

In last year's Luxor massacre, six militants shot dead 58 tourists and four Egyptians. The Gama'a claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed more people than any other single attack since 1992.

"Terrorism is an international phenomenon," Mubarak said. "International cooperation is needed to destroy it. It is unacceptable to shelter terrorists under any pretext, whether it is political asylum or human rights. The world community must wake up to the seriousness of this phenomenon and heed Egypt's call to hold an international anti-terrorism conference."

Egypt has accused a number of Western countries, Britain in particular, of granting refuge to militants suspected of involvement in terrorist activities.

At an InterPol conference in Cairo last month, Egypt called on the international police organisation to endorse proposals that would restrict the movement of terrorist suspects, thus cutting off their source of funding and preventing them from seeking haven abroad. It also asked the organisation to help secure the extradition of known suspects.