An Egyptian named by the United States as one of al-Qaeda’s most senior figures has been arrested in Cairo.
Seif Al-Adel, said to have briefly assumed leadership of the terror group after Osama Bin Laden's death, is on the FBI's "Most Wanted" list with a $5 million (€3.7 million) price on his head.
According to the FBI website, the former Egyptian army officer is wanted on charges related to conspiracy to kill US nationals, murder, to destroy buildings and property of the United States and to destroy the national defence utilities of the United States.
Officials said he had arrived on an Emirates Airline flight from Pakistan with a stopover in Dubai.
The arrested man has denied the link and says he was arrested in a case of mistaken identity.
Speaking to reporters at the airport, a man named Mohammed Ibrahim Makkawi said he was not the senior al-Qaeda leader known as Saif al-Adel and that he had nothing to do with the terror group since 1989.
The US has listed the name Mohammed Ibrahim Makkawi as the real name of Saif al-Adel, a pseudonym that means "sword of justice".
But former militants who know both men have previously said they are two different people and the US identification is incorrect.
Agencies