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British Police Arrest Egyptian Islamic Activist
LONDON,
Oct 24 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Scotland Yard police arrested Tuesday a spokesperson for the Egyptian Jihad (Egyptian Struggle) movement in London on charges that he is connected to those who killed Ahmad Shah Masood, the leader of the Afghani opposition faction, news agencies reported.
The Qatari-based Al Jazeera satellite channel quoted a spokesperson for the U.K. Interior Ministry as saying that Yasser Tawfik Al Sirri, was arrested under the application of the new terrorist bill that was passed into law last year.
The U.K. police department denied that the arrest was based on the request of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or upon the request of the Egyptian government that demands the turnover of Al Sirri.
Scotland Yard arrested Al Sirri two weeks ago for being a suspect in the assassination of Masood, but released him a few hours later for lack of evidence.
Al Sirri is the one of the chief assistants of Dr. Ayman Al Zawahri, leader of the Egyptian Jihad movement outside Egypt. He also heads an Islamic organization in London called the Islamic Media Monitor, which is critical of the political system in Egypt. His home country has issued a death sentence against him in absentia.
The death sentence was handed down for his participation in the 1994 attempt to assassinate former Egyptian Prime Minster Atef Sidki, carried out by the Talae Al Fath movement, affiliated to the Jihad.
The Egyptian government has repeatedly asked the British government to turn over Al Sirri, but its request was denied after Al Sirri applied for political asylum. British law prohibits extradition of asylum seekers facing death sentence in other countries.
Last year, the U.K. enacted an anti-terrorism law which stipulates that it is a crime to be associated to any illegal movement or to raise funds for them. The legislation is aimed at stopping the funding of extremist groups based in the U.K.
Britain's definition of terrorism has been expanded to include any group or movement that uses violence or threatens its use in promoting a policy, religion or ideology and for any act of violence outside the U.K. which has been planned inside it.
The U.K. has classified 21 organization as being "terrorists" including Egyptian, Algerian and Palestinian groups such as: a Jihad (Egypt), the Islamic movement (Egypt), the military faction of Hamas (Palestine), Islamic Jihad (Palestine) and the Mujahideen movement (Kashmir).
Al Sirri denounced the law, saying that it will "poison the British relation with Islamic groups."
Last week, the members of the Afghanistan's main opposition faction held a solemn ceremony marking the 40th day of the death of their legendary commander, Ahmad Shah Masood.
Masood died after a September 9 attack by bombers who disguised themselves as journalists.
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