(AFP/File, Mahmud Hams)
Head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, said on Monday that he “never killed anyone or incited anyone to kill”.
Al-Qaradawi’s comments came as he criticised the judiciary and the law when reacting to being placed on the International police agency (Interpol)’s “wanted” list.
Interpol issued a high level alert in a bulletin seeking the arrest of Al-Qaradawi on Friday.
It stated that the Qatar-based sheikh is wanted by Egypt’s judicial authorities on accusations of incitement, assistance to commit premeditated murder, facilitating a prison escape, and involvement in arson, vandalism, and theft.
“There are those who killed thousands of innocent people at Republican Guard headquarters [in Cairo] and at Rabaa and Nahda squares without any consideration for justice or law,” the Islamic cleric said in response.
The squares in Cairo and Giza witnessed the violent dispersal of sit-ins supporting ousted president Mohamed Morsi in August 2013. Al-Qaradawi is a lifelong Muslim Brotherhood supporter.
Qatar would have to hand Al-Qaradawi over to Interpol, since all investigations and arrests in each Interpol member country are carried out by the national police in accordance with national laws.Prosecutor General Hisham Barakat first requested that Interpol arrest Al-Qaradawi and turn him in to Egyptian authorities in December 2013.
The 88-year-old faces charges alongside ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi and 129 others, for a mass jail break that was allegedly carried out with the help of Hamas and Hezbollah during the 2011 uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak.
