El-Zawahiri denies incarceration in Syria

Mohamed el-Zawahiri, brother of al-Qaeda leader Ayman el-Zawahry, has denied claims made by the British newspaper The Independent that he was imprisoned in Syria. The Egyptian Islamist told Arabstoday he has not left Egypt since the country’s authorities released him from prison in March 2011. “Such claims aim to damage the image of Islamists in the eyes of the international community, perpetuating the idea that Islamists tend to support terrorism,” el-Zawahiri said. The Independent newspaper published a report on Saturday claiming that el-Zawahiri had been imprisoned by the Syrian regime in Daraa.