25 - 31 October 2001
Issue No.557
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 25 - 31 October 2001 Issue No.557 |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Caught in web
Islamist leader Yasser El-Serri, head of the London-based Islamic Observation Centre, was taken into custody by British police on Tuesday on suspicion of terrorism- related activities. El-Serri was sentenced to death in absentia by an Egyptian military court for plotting to kill former Prime Minister Atef Sedki in 1994 -- a crime which he has repeatedly denied.
Despite repeated requests by the Egyptian government for El-Serri's extradition, Britain has refused to turn him over. According to Scotland Yard, El-Serri was arrested on suspicion of involvement in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. El-Serri, along with two other Islamist leaders, was summoned for questioning by the British police in 1998, but he was released shortly afterwards by a court order.
It has been said that El- Serri's arrest is probably connected to the assassination of the former leader of the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan, Ahmed Shah Massoud. According to British law, El-Serri can only be detained for seven days without charges, otherwise he will have to be released.
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