Egyptian Attorney Prosecuted for Aiding Al-Qa'ida
The Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP) in Cairo is charging an Egyptian attorney of heading what has become known as the "Egyptian Project" of Al-Qa'ida, the London-based daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat reports.
The SSSP claims that Mamdouh Isma'il, an attorney working with Islamic movements in Egypt, was the connecting link between Al-Qa'ida leadership and the organization's leaders in Yemen, Algeria and Iraq.
The charge sheet also said Isma'il transferred messages from Muhammad Khalil Al-Hakaima, an Al-Qa’ida leader in Egypt, who escaped the country, to his associates who remained behind.
"Project Egypt" perpetrated a number of terror attacks inside Egypt, the SSSP claimed. Isma'il, for his part, has rejected all the accusations. He said he signed an initiative in 1997, which called to cease violence in Egypt.
Isma'il has served as defense attorney to many Islamists who have been charged with terrorism. He also tried – unsuccessfully – to establish a political party called "The Party of Islamic Law."