Egyptian chemist proved not connected with London bombs

An Egyptian bio-chemist Magdi al-Nashar who had been questioned in Cairo over the 7 July London bombings is freed now and is going to return to Britain. During the interrogation he admitted he new two of the bombers, but had no notion about their plans.

Magdy El-Nashar, 33, was arrested on July 15 in Cairo and released last night. Scotland Yard believe he could be an important witness to the men's movements but do not believe he had any involvement in the attack.

Tuesday he said he had met the King's Cross bomber Jermaine Lindsay, who called himself Jamal, and the Tavistock Square bus bomber Hasib Hussain, who called himself Mohammed, when they told him they were looking for a flat in Leeds, Telegraph reports.

Speaking from his home in Cairo, he said: "It was only when I was arrested in Egypt, and the police showed me [Mohammad's] pictures in the paper, that I realised that both men were connected with the bombings."

He told the BBC he may delay his return to the UK after being held during a holiday in Egypt as he feared people might not know he has been cleared.

Mr Nashar said he was concerned after being portrayed as a "a bad person and a terrorist" by some of the media after 7 July.

"If somebody has seen my picture on the front page as a terrorist or something like that and then he will not know I am innocent and has seen me in the streets, what will he think?" he was quoted as saying by BBC.

Mr Nashar was freed in Cairo after the authorities said there was no link between him and the bombs or al-Qaida.