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| Terror Networks |
| Arrested al-Qaeda suspect ’was taking flight lessons’ |
| 2002-12-23 |
| The man said to be chief of operations for al-Qaeda in the Persian Gulf region, Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, was taking flight lessons near strategic shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz when he was arrested last month by authorities of the United Arab Emirates and turned over to the CIA, officials said. So the UAE was the un-named counrty where he was bagged. He has been identified by intelligence officials as a planner of the October 2000 attack on the United States destroyer Cole in a Yemeni harbour, and the 1998 bombing of the US embassy in Nairobi. He was said by the United Arab Emirates to be planning new attack against US shipping and other interests in the Persian Gulf at the time of his capture, officials said. He's the al-Qaeda naval expert After his arrest he was flown to a special interrogation site that the CIA had set up in Jordan to keep al-Qaeda operatives for questioning in a jurisdiction removed from the US. And Jordan is the "un-named location" where he is being questioned. I remember that was speculated as being the case on this blog. Jordanians do have world famous mustachios The arrest was first reported to the Secretary of State, Colin Powell, on November 8 by Sheik Hamdan bin Zayed, the foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates and son of the ruler, Sheik Zayed bin Sultan al-Nuhayan. A US Administration official said that Mr Powell had agreed to keep news of the arrest secret. However, it leaked to Arab newspapers two weeks later. UAE bagged him and turned him over to us. Thanks very much. US officials thereafter confirmed that al-Nashiri had been picked up in the Persian Gulf region, but they declined to state exactly where the arrest had taken place. They also withheld details of al-Nashiri's activities, including his flight training. Kept it quiet while they questioned him at length. Wonder if he has any company in the Jordan guest house? |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #2 "The UAE's official WAM news agency said Nashiri -- whom it said led naval operations for the militant Islamic network -- had been arrested in late October for planning to "blow up a number of vital economic targets in the country." "He had planned operations aiming at the highest number of casualties among nationals and foreigners, but shifted to alternative plans when that failed," a senior UAE official told Reuters. WAM identified the suspect as Abdul-Rahman al-Nashiri, but a UAE official said he was the same person identified as Abd-al-Rahim al-Nashiri by the United States. "He had several passports and identity cards in his possession," the official said. Yemen asked the United States last month to hand al-Nashiri over for his alleged role in the Cole bombing. He was also wanted for questioning about other "terrorist" operations in Yemen, official media said." After we get all the information out of him we can, and providing he will get a "fair trial" and beheading, I have no problem letting them have him. |
| Posted by: Steve 2002-12-23 13:39:13 |
| #1 Jeepers! I got one right. I called Jordan in a prior post. This bunch of Bedu is on our side, for now. |
| Posted by: Chuck 2002-12-23 11:10:06 |