Wanted by Egypt, London-based Islamist Yasser Serri has been linked to even more terror-related wrongdoing back home. Jailan Halawi investigates Egyptian State Security prosecutors are investigating the possibility that Egyptian exile Yasser Serri, director of the London-based Islamic Observation Centre (IOC), was involved in a foiled attempt to help Nabil El-Maghrabi, an Islamist militant, escape from Tora prison. El-Maghrabi was a member of the underground Jihad group which assassinated President Anwar El-Sadat in October 1981. Now in his late 40s, El-Maghrabi was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the Sadat killing; one of the assassins was El-Maghrabi's brother-in- law. In 1995, a military court handed him another life sentence in a separate case. Investigations into the current case against El-Maghrabi and Serri began almost five months ago when prison authorities arrested El-Maghrabi's wife and son for trying to smuggle a mobile phone amongst food and drink parcels they gave El-Maghrabi during one of their visits to Tora prison. Only this week, however, were details leaked to the press linking the mobile phone to a larger plot to spring El- Maghrabi from prison with the help of Serri -- who is on Egypt's most wanted list. In 1994, a Cairo military court sentenced Serri to death -- in absentia -- for his alleged involvement in an assassination attempt on former Prime Minister Atef Sidqi. Serri -- who fled Egypt in 1988, travelling through Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Yemen and Sudan, before ending up in England, where he sought political asylum -- has repeatedly denied being involved in the Sidqi assassination attempt. After his arrival in London nine years ago, Serri established the IOC, a media centre which disseminates statements from armed militant groups in Arab countries, Kashmir and elsewhere to news organisations around the world. The 40-year-old Egyptian militant was arrested in London last October and charged with complicity in the murder of Afghan opposition commander Ahmed Shah Massoud. He was later released for lack of evidence . Serri conceded that he had provided two Algerian journalists with the accreditation letters that helped them arrange an interview with Massoud, but denied any knowledge that they planned to kill Massoud by a booby-trapped video camera filled with explosives. The Egyptian investigation of Serri which came to light this week alleges that he is involved in providing funds for families of detained and jailed militants with the intention of forming new terrorist cells, according to press reports. These reports indicated that the security apparatus had monitored contacts between Serri and El-Maghrabi's wife regarding financial transactions of up to $100,000 which were to be used to support the families of incarcerated militants, as well as for sponsoring a communications centre connecting militants in Egypt with the IOC. Part of the money was allegedly earmarked for El- Maghrabi's escape plan. Egyptian police recently raided an apartment in Bulaq that they say was meant to serve as the communications centre, confiscating eight mobile phones as well as LE14,000 in cash, according to press reports. Preliminary investigation showed that El-Maghrabi was planning to use the mobile phone to establish contacts with expatriate Jihad leaders. Other charges previously levelled at Serri included the accusation that he was providing support to a banned organisation (Egypt's largest armed militant group, Al- Gama'a Al-Islamiya), procuring funds for the purposes of terrorism, and publishing material likely to stir up racial hatred. Under pressure from Egypt and several Arab countries Britain, two years ago, issued a list of 20 groups dubbed by the British government as "terrorist", and banned their presence in Britain. Al- Gama'a, the group responsible for most of the terrorist violence in Egypt between 1992 and 1997, was on the list, along with Jihad, headed by close Osama Bin Laden associate Ayman El- Zawahri. The United States has also requested the extradition of El-Sirri, believing he could have links to the Al-Qae'da network blamed for the 11 September attacks. Britain has rejected Washington's request, saying there was not enough evidence to link El-Serri to Al-Qae'da. Even before 11 September, the British government had changed its anti- terrorism laws in a way which allowed authorities to detain suspected members of terrorist organisations. Despite these new regulations, however, Egypt's repeated requests for Britain to hand Serri over have been ignored under the pretext that Egypt has not provided sufficient evidence. Egyptian newspapers have lambasted the British for not agreeing to the extradition request. At the same time, according to one paper, perhaps "the presence of Islamist activists in Britain allows the British authorities to keep a closer eye on their activities."
