A suspected al-Qaida operative who was captured along with another man during raids in this southwestern city is an "explosives expert" who had arrived here from Iran, a security official said Thursday.
The suspects, an Egyptian named Sharif al-Misri and another man of Middle Eastern origin identified as Abdul Hakeem, were caught Sunday when Pakistani intelligence agents acting on a tip raided a home in Quetta, the capital of the province of Baluchistan.
| Abdul was identified as a Saudi yesterday. |
The arrests were announced Wednesday by Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed. A security official who is familiar with the investigations of the two suspects told The Associated Press on Thursday that al-Misri had arrived in Pakistan from Iran, where his wife and children have been living since the U.S.-led coalition ousted the Taliban government from Afghanistan in late 2001. "He (al-Misri) is an explosives expert. He has told us that his wife and children live in Iran," said the official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity.
| That's funny, I could have sworn Iran said they had all the al-Qaida guys locked up. |
He said al-Misri admitted training militants in Afghanistan but insists he has done nothing against Pakistan. "So far, it is not clear why he came here," said the official. "We suspect he was on some mission, but we don't have any details."
| "We sent out for a new shipment of truncheons, soon as those come in we'll get some answers." |
Pakistan, a key ally of the United States in its war on terror, shares a border with Iran. Pakistani and Iranian border guards often arrest people, mostly Pakistanis, who try to illegally cross the border to travel to Europe in an effort to seek better jobs.
| If you're heading for a jihadi training camp, you're free to go. |
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