Three Arabs, including the prime suspect of USS Cole bombing, Waleed Muhammad bin Attash alias Khalid al-Attash, were given in the custody of the US officials on Thursday, where they were being interrogated in the presence of Pakistani intelligence officials. The three Arabs, Waleed bin Attash, Abu Ammar and Abdul Aziz, who is said to be nephew of Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, and seven other al-Qaeda suspects were arrested from Karachi on Wednesday. Initially, they were interrogated by local intelligence officials and then al-Attash, Abu Ammar and Abdul Aziz were handed over to the US agents.
Waleed, a Yemeni, disclosed the presence of some 50 more al-Qaeda militants in Karachi. Waleed was being quizzed by the US officials about whereabouts of Osama bin Laden, future planning of the al-Qaeda and details of other militants, who were still at large, according to the sources. "Waleed told investigators that after the fall of Taliban some 75 al-Qaeda militants escaped to Karachi and out them some 50 militants are still hiding in the city," said a source. Waleed was allegedly motivating some local extremists to carry out suicide attacks against Americans. Waleed had delivered 'suicide motivation' lectures in various parts of the city, particularly in the Punjab Colony, to the activists of a banned outfit, adding that he persuaded at least a dozen men for carrying out such missions. The sources claimed that suicide attacks were planned against the US establishments in the country, including diplomatic missions, as well as various local sensitive installations.
| I'd guess that the "banned outfit" is Lashkar e-Jhangvi or Sipah e-Sahabah — or whatever their names are this week. I'd also guess that figure of 50 is low... |
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