The Egyptian interior minister said today that an Egyptian biochemist held for questioning over the London bomb attacks has no links to al-Qaeda.
Speaking to the Egyptian newspaper Al-Jumhuriyah, Mr Habib al-Adli said the media speculation about Magdi Mahmoud al-Nashar (33), sought in connection with the bombings, was groundless.
Late last night the Egyptian interior ministry released an extract from the interrogation in which Mr al-Nashar denied having any role in the attacks.
Magdi Mahmoud al-Nashar, the Egyptian biochemist being questioned in Cairo.
Mr al-Nashar said he was in Egypt on holidays and that his belongings remained in Britain.
Yesterday, Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Ian Blair was confident that the continuing international investigation would establish "a clear al-Qaeda link" to the bombings.
His prediction came with a fresh warning about the "very strong possibility" of further terror strikes in Britain.
The Cairo arrest of Magdi Mahmoud al-Nashar (33) came as police continued to search a house with which he has been linked in Leeds.
The Egyptian interior minister denied that british investigators had joined the Egyptian authorities questioning Mr al-Nashar, who has not been seen in Leeds since early July.
Like the four suspected London suicide bombers, it is understood he had not previously come to the attention of the security services.
Sir Ian described the four as being only "the foot soldiers" of the terrorist operation, while the hunt continued for those who masterminded them. "What we've got to find is who encouraged them, who trained them, and who's the chemist," he said.
The family of suicide bomber Hasib Hussain last night spoke of their "devastation" and described their son as "a loving and normal young man".
In a statement issued through West Yorkshire Police, they expressed their disbelief that the 18-year-old was involved in the bus attack which left 14 dead. "Hasib was a loving and normal young man who gave us no concern, and we are having difficulty taking this in," his family said.