Pakistan 'catches al-Qaeda chief' (#3, not bin Laden)

BBC ^ | May 4, 2005

[alnitak]

Senior Libyan al-Qaeda suspect Abu Faraj al-Libbi has been arrested in Pakistan, the government says.

Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said the suspect had been caught earlier in the week.

He would give no details of the arrest. Other reports said two suspects were captured in the Waziristan region of North West Frontier Province on Monday.

Libbi is said to have become third in the al-Qaeda hierarchy after Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was caught in 2003.

He is wanted in connection with two attempts on the life of Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf.

More details soon.

[FreeReign]

Pakistan has been a key ally in what the US calls its war on terrorism. Islamabad has handed over more than 700 suspected al-Qaeda operatives to US custody.

Wow, this admission from the BBC.

[easonc52]

WHY does the military announce this crap? The news media is telling EVERYONE that this guy is talking. WHY do we have to announce this? It is ruining the chances to capture other people. I just don't get it. I wish they could keep this stuff a secret.

I agree with the sentiment. However, I have to hope whoever leaks has a strategic reason for doing so.

ie., a) they've had him for a bit and didn't get a thing, or didn't believe they'd get anything additional, and b) they want to smoke out bad guys who think they may have been snitched on as to their current location (as in following new movements).

[cake_crumb]

1. Soldier: England Pics Had Legitimate Use
2. Bomber Kills 46 at Iraqi Police Center
3. Pentagon Analyst Charged With Passing Secret Info
4. Witness Details Jackson's Financial Woes
5. al-Qaida's No. 3 Man Arrested in Pakistan

No Anti-American bias there, nosiree.

[I Drive Too Fast]

Yoo hoo, over here. Another one bites the dust. I see the link is BBC which stands for - bad boy caught.

Let's use some vile means of torture to get this guy to talk. That's right, show him ALL of the 2004 Kerry campaign footage. He will be screaming out what he knows very quickly.

[ariamne]

"No, no,.. not Lynndie England...NNNNNNOOOOOOOO...Aiiiyeee!!"

[TexKat]

Bush: Pakistan Arrest 'Critical Victory'

By KATHERINE SHRADER

Associated Press Writer

May 4, 1:06 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The arrest of an al-Qaida operational chief in Pakistan "represents a critical victory in the war on terror," President Bush said Wednesday. U.S. counterterrorism officials said the captive almost certainly knows crucial planning details for the terror network.

During an appearance to talk about Social Security, Bush praised the government of Pakistan for the arrest earlier this week of Abu Farraj al-Libbi.

Bush called him "a major facilitator and a chief planner" for Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terror network and said that his arrest "removes a dangerous enemy who is a direct threat to America and for those who love freedom."

U.S. counterterrorism officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said al-Libbi was the No. 3 al-Qaida figure behind bin Laden and his top deputy Ayman al-Zawahri. Officials said authorities expect that al-Libbi will have significant knowledge of al-Qaida's operations and planning, given his position as al-Qaida's No. 3 operative.

Officials consider this arrest the most significant blow to al-Qaida since the March 2003 capture of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed because al-Libbi is believed responsible for planning attacks around the world, including inside the United States. The officials would not elaborate.

The arrest is the result of months of close cooperation between the Pakistanis and the CIA's most famous division, its clandestine service, according to the officials. The Pakistanis captured al-Libbi through human intelligence - or traditional human spying.

Yet officials would not say whether the source or sources of the information that led to his capture were working with U.S. or Pakistani intelligence.

"I applaud the Pakistani government for their strong cooperation in the war on terror," Bush said, adding that the Pakistanis had acted on "solid intelligence" to bring him to justice and vowing that those fighting terrorism will "stay on the offensive until al-Qaida is defeated."

Audio:Bush says the captured al-Qaida suspect (Abu Farraj al-Libbi) was a top general for Osama bin Laden.

It's not yet clear if a bounty will be paid on this arrest. The State Department administers the government's Rewards for Justice program, which provides millions in some cases for information leading to the killing or capture of terrorists.

A department official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the program had not listed a specific reward for al-Libbi, but that any U.S. government agency could nominate an individual for a reward. After an internal government review, the secretary of state must approve the payment.

It's not yet clear if a private citizen provided the information that led to al-Libbi's arrest - or if the other actions, such as more standard detective work, resulted in his capture.

A picture of the terrorist who rose al-Qaida's ranks is beginning to take shape. One counterterrorism official said that al-Libbi, who is married, has at least two children and speaks Farsi and Pashto, as well as limited English and French.

His association with bin Laden goes back to al-Qaida's early days in Sudan, where bin Laden set up a complex of businesses and terror enterprises in 1991. The official said he was also in Afghanistan, supporting the Taliban in the late 1990s.

The official said U.S. authorities consider al-Libbi an intelligent planner who is popular among the al-Qaida rank-and-file. He has distinctive attributes, including a skin pigmentation that colors his hands, face and arms with red and white blotches.

The official said he's believed to use at least five aliases: Nafiz, Mahfuz, Abdalhafiz, Abu Hamada and Tawfiq.

[easonc52]

WHY does the military announce this crap? The news media is telling EVERYONE that this guy is talking. WHY do we have to announce this? It is ruining the chances to capture other people. I just don't get it. I wish they could keep this stuff a secret.

c) also, if you escape, you're dead if the bad guys think you may have snitched on them.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[TomasUSMC]

Thats right, parole pfc., England out with the requirement that she beats OBLs whereabouts out of this scumbag.

[cake_crumb]

When the US does it, it's frequently intentional. Psyops. Makes the bad guys scramble without preparation, increasing the odds they'll screw up badly and also interferes with the terrorists' recruitment efforts.

When Pakistan does it, it's usually a petty official looking for 15 minutes of fame. In this case, Musharraf is thumbing his nose at his enemies after vanquishing one of their top dogs. That is also psyops.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!

[ariamne]

And the panties, too.

[TexKat]

This is what digusts me about American Media. I was just at AP and this is currently the 5th story. This is what they consider to be their order of importance

Its according to when you look, when and how many times the story is updated. In my post #107, it is front page news on all the outlets. Since your post softwarecreator I checked AP and it was #3. So it all depends I guess on the # and times of the updates.

[GeoPie]

They are going to say he is talking no matter what. They do this to create mistrust and fear. By the time the media knows he has been captured, al quada already knows or it is to our benefit they know. Don't worry, they know what they are doing.

[proud American in Canada]

Is it just me or some of the rest of you find it odd that even on FR this subject is no longer of too much interest apparently?

I agree. My friend here knows I read and post on FR and she asked me what people were saying about the capture of this guy.

I told her I'd have to wade through the "Laura Bush is pandering to the cultural cesspool" vs. "FR has been hijacked by the Christian Taliban" arguments.

It's amazing that there are only a hundred or so posts, and a lot of them are jokes, not the insightful analysis I'm so used to reading (not that there's anything wrong with jokes, but a thread like this used to generate a lot more substance, it seems to me).

[phil_will1]

"This is great. Me thinks Osama is possibly in the immediate area."

I'm guessing that Osama's long gone from wherever he was hiding before this vermin's capture. OBL may be a sociopath, but he's no dummy.

[proud American in Canada]

I don't mean for my previous post to be an insult to anyone who's posted here--I appreciate the substantive posts & learn from them, and I've laughed at the jokes.

I just meant to agree with the previous poster that there doesn't seem to be much interest. Maybe those who were interested in this topic have left.

[eleni121]

"Get Jack Bauer started on him. ;-)"

---

LOL!!!I love that show.

[cake_crumb]

"So it all depends I guess on the # and times of the updates"

Also according to number of views? If so, we should keep this story and the capture of Saddam's nephew "bumped", so to speak.