Al-Qaeda's new operational head
04 October 200
By M Ansari
Debriefing by security officials in Pakistan of several dozen militants captured there since July, has revealed the name of Abu Faraj al-Liby who, they say, is the man currently calling the shots on behalf of Osama bin Laden's terrorist network.
"Every time we interrogate a militant linked to Al-Qaeda, Al-Liby's name pops up," said a Pakistani security agent, who requested not to be identified.
These officials said that Al-Liby was not only the man who orchestrated major terrorist acts carried in Pakistan recently - including the latest suicide attack on Shoukat Aziz, the newly elected Pakistani Prime Minister, during his election campaign - but he was also behind the coded messages sent to Al-Qaeda sleeping cells in the UK and US, assisted by Mohammed Naeem Noor Khan, who was arrested in July.
The deciphered messages revealed that Al-Liby was co-ordinating pre-election terrorist acts in the US, and had sent messages to several militants in the UK in the last eight to 10 months.
At least two of the UK-based militants are said to have travelled to Pakistan from London and held meetings with Al-Liby to finalise the attacks.
Previously, Al-Liby worked as deputy to Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, Al-Qaeda's operational head for the 11 September 2001 attacks in the US. Al-Liby took over after Mohammad was captured in Rawalpindi on 1 March 2003. "Al-Liby was immediately elevated to the terrorist network's top position in its hierarchy because he was the right-hand man of Mohammad and was personally trusted by Bin Laden due to his past role," an investigator said.
Even today, Al-Liby is one of the few top Al-Qaeda militants who could possibly know the whereabouts of Bin Laden or Ayman Al-Zawahiri.
Security officials said, given that Al-Qaeda continues to maintain considerable legions of terrorist cells from Indonesia to the Philippines and from New York to London, they always need someone to co-ordinate and utilise these cadres. Since many of these cadres are familiar with Al-Liby's name, it is assumed he automatically qualified to replace Mohammad in this role.
http://www.janes.com/security/international_security/news/jiaa/jiaa041004_1_n.shtml
Musharraf could help arrest Osama: US congressman
NEW YORK: A US Congress member has said that Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden was in Pakistan and President Pervez Musharraf would catch him.
Speaking at the inauguration of a new Bengali channel NTV on Monday, Congressman Gillman said that terrorism was being fought all over the world and no country was safe for the terrorists. He praised President Musharraf for his effort to eradicate terrorism and said, “The president of Pakistan has a lot to offer. We thank him for his cooperation”.
“President Musharraf has been good and we need his help as well of all the other countries. We need all of the countries to work together to fight terrorism — we need Pakistan, we need Bangladesh, we need India, we need all,” Mr Gillman said. online
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_5-10-2004_pg7_41
PING. Good find.