Here are excerpts from a report by the London-based Arabic newspaper Al-Hayat on August 6:

Cairo: The "Islamic Jihad Group", led by Dr Ayman al-Zawahiri - who is currently residing in Taleban-controlled areas in Afghanistan - has vowed to take revenge against the United States, which it is accusing of involvement in the arrest of a number of Egyptian Islamists - among them the leading figure in the organization, Ahmad Ibrahim al-Najjar, who was sentenced in absentia to death by the High Military Court in Cairo in connection with the Khan al-Khalili case - while they were in the Albanian capital Tirana, and in their extradition to Egypt.

The "Information Office of the Jihad Group in Egypt" yesterday issued a statement - a copy of which has been received by Al-Hayat - entitled "About the extradition of three of our brothers," in which it says that "the US government, in coordination with the Egyptian government, arrested three of our brothers in some East European states, where the first brother, known as 'Tariq,' was arrested while he was with his Albanian wife in an East European state known for its hostility towards Muslims.

And in less than a month after this crime the brother known as Abu Islam and the brother known as Abu Mahmud were arrested in Albania; this is in addition to two of their Egyptian work colleagues."...

The statement says: "The accusation levelled at our three brothers was participation in a group declaring jihad against the United States and Israel and their trade, and cooperation with the mujahidin in Kosovo outside US influence."

And in a threatening tone, it adds: "We are interested in briefly telling the Americans that their message has been received and that the response, which we hope they will read carefully, is being [prepared], because we - with God's help - will write it in the language that they understand."...

Source: Al-Hayat, London, in Arabic Aug 6 98