As part of his bachelor 's degree in Law and Arabic , Nawaz spent a compulsory year abroad in Egypt , arriving just one day before the 9/11 attacks took place . Since political Islamist organisations like Hizb ut-Tahrir were banned in Egypt , Nawaz was arrested and interrogated in Alexandria by the Egyptian security agency Aman al-Dawlah . Like most foreign prisoners , he was not subjected to torture , but faced the threat of torture during interrogation and witnessed other prisoners being tortured . He was then transferred to Mazrah Tora prison and put on trial . Represented by Sadiq Khan , he was sentenced to five years ' imprisonment . During the trial , he was adopted by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience , who helped to secure his return to London
9/11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Maajid Nawaz