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Britain says Egyptian had no role in bombs – paper | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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CAIRO (Reuters) -British authorities are sure that an Egyptian biochemist being questioned in Egypt had no role in the London bombings, a state-owned Egyptian newspaper said on Tuesday, quoting a senior security official.

Egyptian authorities last week detained Magdy Elnashar, who has denied any role in the attacks which killed 56 people. Police have been searching Elnashar”s rented flat in Leeds in connection with the bombings. Three of the four British bombers were from the same area in the north of England.

&#34There is complete security cooperation with the British side, which is convinced from the questioning carried out by Egypt, that Elnashar had no role in these explosions,&#34 al-Ahram newspaper quoted the security source as saying.

&#34Elnashar will not be released at present,&#34 the source added. &#34The question of his release will … (be dealt with) after the end of questioning.&#34

British police said they had no comment on the report.

Elnashar has told the Egyptian authorities that he returned to Egypt for a six-week holiday and had intended to go back to Britain, where earlier this year he obtained a doctorate.

British police have said they are confident of finding an al Qaeda link to the British bombers. Egypt”s interior minister has said Elnashar has no link to the network.

Analysts say it would be unlikely that a militant Islamist would choose to go on the run in Egypt, where the authorities have had decades of experience of cracking down on Islamic militants.