Abboud al-Zommor, the mastermind behind the 1981 assassination of Egypt's former president Anwar Sadat, has been released after spending decades in prison.

He was the leader of Jihad, a group trying to overthrow the secular government and establish an Islamic state.

Now, after the ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak's government, al-Zommor plans to take part in mapping out the future of Egypt.

Islamic groups do have support in Egypt even though they were banned and suppressed under Mubarak's government. But some fear that when these groups are allowed the right to form legal parties, they could become a strong force and change the face of the country.

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reports from Cairo.