Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — A man who Egyptian authorities say matches the description of Al Qaida operations
chief Seif Al Adel insists it is a case of mistaken identity.

The Egyptian national, who was arrested on Feb. 29 at Cairo International Airport, said however that he had been a member of Al Qaida.

The man, who arrived on a flight from Pakistan with a stopover
in the United Arab Emirates, was using what authorities said is the real name of Al Adel, Mohammed
Ibrahim Makawi. Authorities said that both the man’s name and date of birth matched that of Al Adel.

“There was information that Al Adel was planning to surrender to Egypt,” a security source said.

For his part, Makawi, the detainee, has denied that he is Al Qaida’s
operational chief, a former Egyptian Army colonel. Upon his arrest, however, Makawi told reporters that he had been a member of Al Qaida.

“What has been said about me is lies,” Makawi, who did not resemble photographs of Al Adel, said. “I never took part in actions against people or installations. I decided to come to Egypt to live in peace and because I am certain of my innocence. I have cut no deals with Egyptian authorities.”

In late 2011, Egyptian sources reported the arrival of Al Qaida
operatives from Iran to Egypt. They said Iran, in an effort to improve
relations after the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, agreed to expel
Egyptian members of Al Qaida linked to attacks in the Arab League state in
the 1980s and 1990s.

Al Adel, once deemed the No. 3 figure in Al Qaida, is wanted by
the United States for the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and
Tanzania in 1998. Al Adel is also believed to have trained the Al Qaida
suicide operatives who downed four passenger aircraft into New York and
Washington in 2001.

“We are aware that an individual has been taken into custody and every
effort is being made by the U.S. government to verify the identity of the
person in custody,” FBI spokesman William Carter said.

  Cairo International Airport, FBI, Mohammed Ibrahim Makawi, Seif Al Adel, Suspect detained in Egypt denies he is Al Qaida operations chief, U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania