RIYADH, July 6: In a twist to the ongoing saga in Iraq, an Egyptian lawyer is claiming that Abu Hamza Al-Muhajir, the purported successor of Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi as leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, is in an Egyptian prison and not in Iraq and that he met him there only two days ago.

An Egyptian newspaper, Al Masri Al Yawm, has quoted Mamduh Ismail as saying he met Al-Muhajir, also known as Sharif Hazaa, or Abu Ayub Al-Masri, in Tura prison in Cairo, where he has been held for seven years.

“Sharif Hazaa [Al-Muhajir] is in Tura prison, and I met him two days ago while I was visiting some of my clients,” Ismail told the newspaper.

Al-Muhajir is on the ‘most wanted’ list issued by the Iraqi government last week.