Brotherhood acting leader on wanted list leaves Egypt
The wanted acting head of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has left the country despite Cairo's insistence that it has tightened airport security, sources tell al-Araby.
2 min read
Ezzat joined the Brotherhood when he was 18 years old [AAAJ]
The acting Supreme Guide of the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood has fled Egypt through one of the country's airports after evading arrest for two years, according to al-Araby al-Jadeed's Arabic service.
A source in the Brotherhood said Mahmoud Ezzat recently made his way out of Egypt by air despite warrants for his arrest being issued two years ago and heightened airport security.
Ezzat's escape comes after Russia confirmed on Tuesday that the plane that crashed over Sinai late last month, killing all 224 people on board, was brought down by a bomb.
"This is not an isolated incident. Other Brotherhood leaders have snuck out of the county such as Helmy al-Gazzar who was banned from travelling because of an ongoing court case against him," the source said.
"Airport officials accept bribes of around $2,000 to let people through who are not supposed to leave the country," the unnamed sourced added.
"The Egyptian security service by and large lack the skills to secure places in need of intense security measures such as airports and embassies," a researcher at the al-Gomhuria Research Centre told al-Araby al-Jadeed.
"Security services believe that if they intrusively search travellers bags' flowing major incidents, they will convince the world they are doing their job properly," the researcher added.
On Wednesday, the Islamic State group [IS] said it had smuggled a bomb disguised as a soft drink on board the Russian airliner.
IS said it had discovered a "way to compromise the security" at Sharm al-Sheikh airport.
A leading figure in the Brotherhood since the 1960s, Ezzat has been described as "the gatekeeper" of the group's finances.
He joined the Brotherhood when he was 18 years old and rose through the ranks to become deputy guide in 2010, he has been imprisoned several times and served time alongside other members.
He was made temporary leader of the Brotherhood following the arrest of Mohammed Badie in August 2014.
A source in the Brotherhood said Mahmoud Ezzat recently made his way out of Egypt by air despite warrants for his arrest being issued two years ago and heightened airport security.
Ezzat's escape comes after Russia confirmed on Tuesday that the plane that crashed over Sinai late last month, killing all 224 people on board, was brought down by a bomb.
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| IS said it had discovered a way to compromise airport security |
"Airport officials accept bribes of around $2,000 to let people through who are not supposed to leave the country," the unnamed sourced added.
"The Egyptian security service by and large lack the skills to secure places in need of intense security measures such as airports and embassies," a researcher at the al-Gomhuria Research Centre told al-Araby al-Jadeed.
"Security services believe that if they intrusively search travellers bags' flowing major incidents, they will convince the world they are doing their job properly," the researcher added.
On Wednesday, the Islamic State group [IS] said it had smuggled a bomb disguised as a soft drink on board the Russian airliner.
IS said it had discovered a "way to compromise the security" at Sharm al-Sheikh airport.
A leading figure in the Brotherhood since the 1960s, Ezzat has been described as "the gatekeeper" of the group's finances.
He joined the Brotherhood when he was 18 years old and rose through the ranks to become deputy guide in 2010, he has been imprisoned several times and served time alongside other members.
He was made temporary leader of the Brotherhood following the arrest of Mohammed Badie in August 2014.
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