Egyptian security services have arrested Mohamed Mostafa el-Sayyed, a former leader of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad. El-Sayyed has evaded capture for the last 20 years using forged documents.
El-Sayyed’s arrest is the second major operation by the Interior Ministry in less than six months, after the arrest Abdel Hamid Osman Abu Aqrab, one of the leaders of al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya, another Islamist organization. Abu Aqrab currently faces charges of terrorism.
The security services handed el-Sayyed to the Supreme State Security Prosecution, which began its investigation of the former Islamist leader several days ago. An investigation memo stated that el-Sayyed had been sentenced in absentia during the 1990s. The memo also mentioned that the interior minister issued an order to arrest el-Sayyed, adding that the security services found a number of small arms after searching his home.
El-Sayyed’s lawyer, Montasser el-Zayat, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the accused left the organization and accepted Islamic Jihad founder Sheikh Sayyed Imam’s call to end violent activities in 2007. El-Zayat added that his client no longer has any ties to Islamist movements.
The Supreme State Security Prosecution ordered that el-Sayyed be imprisoned 15 days. Investigations continue in to how he managed to avoid arrest, looking specifically at his hiding places and his succeess in forging official documents.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
