Montasser el-Zayat () or Muntasir al-Zayyat ( ar, منتصر الزيات ') (born 1956) is an Egyptian lawyer and author whose former clients, according to press reports, included

Ayman al-Zawahiri Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri (June 19, 1951 – July 31, 2022) was an Egyptian-born terrorist and physician who served as the second emir of al-Qaeda from June 16, 2011, until his death. Al-Zawahiri graduated from Cairo University with ...

, since 2011 the leader of

al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...

, the terrorist organization, and al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya.UNHCR information on al-Zayyat and other Egyptians
/ref> Following the 1981 assassination of Anwar Sadat, as a young man, el-Zayat was one of the hundreds of politically active Egyptians who were rounded up.U.S. policies causing Islamists rage, some say
, ''

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review The ''Pittsburgh Tribune-Review'', also known as "the Trib," is the second largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Although it transitioned to an all-digital format on December 1, 2016, it rem ...

'', 1 December 2002 He was detained for three years although he was never tried or convicted.

Early life and education

Montasser al-Zayat was born in 1956 in Egypt and educated there. His family is of Nubian descent. As a young man of 21, he was arrested along with hundreds of other politically active Egyptians after the assassination of Anwar Sadat. He was detained for three years without trial and finally released.

Career

Al-Zayyat became an attorney in Egypt. His former clients are said to have included

, since 2011 the leader of

, the terrorist organization based in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He also defended al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya. He has written a book entitled ''Ayman al-Zawahiri as I Knew Him'' (2006),Militant Ideology Atlas
Combating Terrorism Center, West Point which is strongly critical of al-Zawahiri. El-Zayat claims that al-Zawahiri responded to his criticism by electronic mail.Keeping Al-Qaeda in His Grip: Al-Zawahiri Presses Ideology, Deepens Rifts Among Islamic Radicals
'' Washington Post'', 16 April 2006 The '' Washington Post'' reported that el-Zayat has said of al-Zawahiri, "He always thinks he is right, even if he is alone." El-Zayat also represented Ahmad Ibrahim al-Sayyid al-Naggar in the 1999 case of the Returnees from Albania. On 1 December 2002 the ''

'' reported that el-Zayat "accused the United States of 'invading the region and imposing its policies — it wants to interfere with our life, and it wants us to modify our religious curriculum. ... This is why the people approved of what happened in Kuwait, Yemen and

Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...

". El-Zayat is currently the lawyer for the Egyptian cleric, Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr. He was living in exile in Italy when he was allegedly abducted by the CIA's Special Activities Division under the direction of Robert Seldon Lady.Abducted imam seeks return to Italy
'' ANSA'', 8 April 2006''

Invited to defend a Guantanamo captive

In May 2009, '' Al Arabiya'' reported that el-Zayat had been invited to defend Mustafa al-Hawsawi, one of the fourteen high-value detainees held at the

Guantanamo Bay detention camp The Guantanamo Bay detention camp ( es, Centro de detención de la bahía de Guantánamo) is a United States military prison located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, also referred to as Guantánamo, GTMO, and Gitmo (), on the coast of Guant ...

, before a Guantanamo military commission. El-Zayat described thinking at first that he was the target of a hoax.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zayat, Montasser al- 20th-century Egyptian lawyers Living people 1956 births Egyptian people of Nubian descent 21st-century Egyptian lawyers