Egypt court orders release of brother of al-Qaeda leader

Ayman al Zawahri brother of Mohammed Al-Zawahri.

An Egyptian lawyer says a court in Cairo has ordered the release of the brother of al-Qaeda's leader after he spent over two years in prison without trial over accusations he led a terrorist group.

Khaled al-Masri told The Associated Press Tuesday that Mohammed Al-Zawahri, the brother of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri, will be placed under house arrest.

Al-Zawahri was arrested in August 2013, days after security forces stormed a sit-in by supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, killing hundreds.

Al-Zawahri was the leader of a jihadi Salafi group and was a close ally of Morsi.

He had been acquitted in one terrorism-related case. However, he remained in detention under a second case, for which he was never formally charged but was accused of forming terrorist organization.

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