Egyptian claims mistaken identity in al-Qaida case

The Egyptian man whose name was listed by the FBI as an alias for a senior al-Qaida figure was arrested Wednesday when he flew to Cairo from Pakistan. He denied any link to the terrorist network and said it was a case of mistaken identity, a claim backed up by two U.S. officials. Mohammed Ibrahim Makkawi was arrested on his arrival at the airport was taken for questioning, security and airport officials said. His name appears on the FBI list of most wanted terrorists as an alias for the senior al-Qaida figure known as Saif al-Adel. The wanted man is an Egyptian who has been indicted by the United States for an alleged role in the Aug. 7, 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya that killed 224 people. He also was linked to the 2002 killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Two U.S. officials also said the arrested man appears to have been mistaken for the al-Qaida operative. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence information that has not been publicly released. The FBI said it was still sorting out details of the case. "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," said William Carter, a spokesman at FBI headquarters. He declined to comment further. Saif al-Adel is an al-Qaida veteran, believed to have been the head of its military committee. After the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks, he fled to Iran. He was reportedly held under house arrest there, though it is believed he continued to be active and in recent years he was reportedly allowed to make trips to Pakistan. Former militants who know both men have previously said they are two different people and the FBI incorrectly mixed them up.