FBI seeks to question Al Qaeda operative in Brazil

Mohamed Ahmed Elsayed Ahmed Ibrahim was added to the FBI's most wanted list on Monday

The FBI seal is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, DC on July 5, 2016. - The FBI said Tuesday it will not recommend charges over Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server as secretary of state, but said she had been "extremely careless" in her handling of top secret data. The decision not to recommend prosecution will come as a huge relief for the presumptive Democratic nominee whose White House campaign has been dogged by the months-long probe. (Photo by YURI GRIPAS / AFP)

The FBI seal is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, US. AFP

Aug 14, 2019

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is seeking to question an Egyptian in Brazil for allegedly helping Al Qaeda plan attacks on the United States.

Mohamed Ahmed Elsayed Ahmed Ibrahim was added to the FBI's most wanted list on Monday over his "alleged role as an Al Qaeda operative and facilitator who has allegedly been involved in plotting attacks against the US and its interests".

Brazil has pledged to co-operate with the US in any way it can. Brazil's ministries of justice and foreign affairs said on Monday that the Egyptian had entered the country in 2018 and was a legal resident.

A Houthi rebel supporter sits behind a machine gun mounted on a truck during a gathering to mobilise more fighters into battlefronts against Saudi-backed government forces, in Sanaa, Yemen. EPA

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The FBI said Mr Ibrahim, born in 1977, had been "providing material support" since about 2013 for Al Qaeda.

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro is working to forge closer ties with US President Donald Trump, an ideological ally who has proposed a bilateral trade pact between the two largest economies in the Americas.

The US has long been concerned about suspected militants from organisations such as Hezbollah who live and operate in Brazil.