Chemist held in Egypt an unlikely suspect

updated 6:36 p.m. ET July 15, 2005

CAIRO, Egypt - The biochemist detained in Cairo in connection with the London bombings is an intelligent, quiet young man who advanced to one of Egypt’s most prestigious research centers and whose lower middle-class family spent heavily for him to study abroad, neighbors say.

Magdy Mahmoud Mustafa el-Nashar, 33, had been teaching chemistry at Leeds University in northern England, and returned to Egypt a week before the deadly July 7 bombings in the British capital.

He was arrested four or five days ago in Cairo after British officials supplied his name to Egyptian authorities over the weekend, a government official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was revealing information not announced by the Interior Ministry. However el-Nashar’s brother said el-Nashar was arrested on Thursday, after he’d gone to pray at a local mosque and did not return.

British authorities said they found signs in el-Nashar’s Leeds home that quantities of a compound called TATP, or triacetone triperoxide, had been converted into a powerful explosive, The Times newspaper reported.

Leaning on Cairo
A security official said Britain was pressuring Egypt to hand el-Nashar over. If Egypt hands him over, it may also seek the return from Britain of militant suspects Egypt has been seeking, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the information was not authorized for official release.

A spokeswoman for Britain’s Foreign Office said it had no comment on whether Britain was seeking extradition. However, earlier Friday, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair said he wanted el-Nashar returned to Britain, which does not have an extradition treaty with Egypt.

In questioning by Egyptian officials, he denied any role in the attacks and said he was planning to return to Leeds after a vacation in Egypt, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. He was still being held, the ministry said, without saying whether he would be handed over to Britain or offering further details about his arrest.

British authorities said they found signs in el-Nashar’s Leeds home that quantities of a compound called TATP, or triacetone triperoxide, had been converted into a powerful explosive, The Times newspaper reported.

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