The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood has issued a statement denying that Al Qaeda mastermind Khaled Sheikh Mohamed (KSM) was ever affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood as has been widely reported. According to the report:
In a confusing account of Al Qaeda mastermind Khaled Sheikh Mohamed’s “terrorist history”, the Financial Times has most strangely stated that Mohamed “claims” to have joined the Muslim Brotherhood at an early age and then was “radicalized at youth camps.” We, as the editorial board of the Muslim Brotherhood’s official website, felt deeply disappointed at such a fatal mistake by an internationally respected newspaper. It is difficult for us to comprehend the justification for citing this error in an article about Al Qaeda leader who belongs to a violent extremist organization that is at organizational and intellectual odds with the Muslim Brotherhood. We reaffirm that Khaled Sheikh Mohamed was never affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood at any stage of his life, and that the Muslim Brotherhood has always had a moderating, not a radicalizing influence. The Muslim Brotherhood is a socio-political non-violent organization devoted to peaceful gradual reform, and is the complete opposite of Al Qaeda in its interpretation of Islam and its attitude to violence. We preserve the right to refute this piece of information mentioned in the Financial Times by all possible means, and we refer the editors who want to know or verify any information about the Muslim Brotherhood to our leaders and representatives who work publicly and have their registered offices and headquarters across Egypt.
Whatever the truth of KSM’s Brotherhood affiliation, the statement shows the continuing sensitivity of the Egyptian Brotherhood to anything impacting its image abroad. In addition to KSM, one of the most important influences on Osama Bin Laden himself was Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood leader Sheikh Abdullah Azzam.