soon fled (Medina) after the assassination, a view for which Jafri cites al-Tabari. Closely associated with Ali was Malik al-Ashtar, a leader of the , who had led the Kufan delegation against Uthman, even though they had heeded Ali's call for nonviolence, and did not participate in the deadly siege. A leading Egyptian rebel with links to Ali was his stepson, Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, who was allegedly among those who killed Uthman. Other authors have rejected this accusation, though most sources seem to agree that Muhammad visited Uthman shortly before his death and rebuked him for his conduct. These two men and some other supporters of Ali were implicated by Mu'awiya in the assassination of Uthman. In this light, some authors suggest that Ali was unwilling or unable to punish these individuals. In any case, the revenge for Uthman soon became the pretext for two revolts against Ali. Role of Mu'awiya in the assassination Other authors have instead implicated Mu'awiya or his close associates in the assassination of Uthman. Madelung writes that Amr ibn al-As, a close ally of Mu'awiya, had earlier publicly taken credit for the assassination. At the time, Mu'awiya was also repeatedly accused of abandoning Uthman during the deadly siege of his residence, and this view is echoed by the Islamic author Hassan Abbas and by the Shia scholar Muhammad H. Tabatabai (). Similarly, a letter ascribed to the besieged Uthman by al-Tabari and al-Ya'qubi alleges that Mu'awiya deliberately withheld the requested reinforcements to benefit politically from the caliph's death. It is also commonly believed that Marwan, the secretary of Uthman, was responsible for the intercepted instructions to punish the rebels that set off the final siege. However, Lesley Hazleton, an author on religion and politics, further suggests that Marwan may have done so at the instigation of Mu'awiya. Abbas shares this view. Tabatabai writes that, during his own caliphate, Mu'awiya no longer pursued vengeance for Uthman, which was the basis for his claim to the caliphate. War preparations Iraq In Iraq, Ali called a council of the Muhajirun and the Ansar who unanimously urged him to fight Mu'awiya after the latter declared war. Some apparently suggested that Ali remain in Kufa and send a force against Mu'awiya, but the caliph preferred to take the command himself. As for the public, the Kufans were not united in supporting the war, either simply because of its expected