Pakistan Arrests al-Qaida Suspect
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Pakistan intelligence agencies, working with
U.S. agents, arrested a Middle Eastern man Thursday they suspect is an
operative of the al-Qaida terrorist network, officials said.
Interior Minister Iftikhar Ahmad confirmed the arrest in the northwestern
city of Peshawar, but declined to give any details about the suspect or
say what position he was believed to have in Osama bin Laden's
organization.
Officials said the man was in Pakistani custody and was being
interrogated.
He apparently was arrested when FBI monitors intercepted calls made from
his mobile telephone, the officials said, speaking on condition of
anonymity.
Pakistan has arrested several top-level al-Qaida in the last 13 months,
unlocking many of the secrets of the organization held responsible for
the Sep. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States.
Most of those arrested were turned over to U.S. authorities after being
interrogated in Pakistan.
In March 2002, Abu Zubaydah, once bin Laden's top terror coordinator, was
caught in the city of Faisalabad.
Last September, Ramzi Binalshibh, a suspected planner of the terrorist
attack in the United States, was captured after a gun battle in the
southern port of Karachi. A month ago, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the
alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, was seized in Rawalpindi,
near Islamabad.
The latest arrest came two weeks ago when Yassir al-Jaziri was captured
in the eastern city of Lahore. Al-Jaziri was described is a key
subordinate of bin Laden who facilitated communications between al-Qaida
operatives. He was among the top two dozen most-wanted al-Qaida
men.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/w-asia/2003/apr/03/040307890.html
The Dept of Homeland Security is now offering free phones to all terror
groups.
