Posted on 05/05/2005 7:43:13 PM PDT by Alouette
Pakistani agents wearing burqas seized al-Qaeda suspect Abu Faraj al-Libbi by ambushing his motorbike in a rural town, police told the BBC.
The man alleged to be a top al-Qaeda organiser was riding pillion and managed to run into a house where agents flushed him out with tear gas.
He has been held at an undisclosed location since his capture at Mardan, 60km (37 miles) from Peshawar.
Pakistani officials have ruled out his immediate extradition to the US.
They said he would not be handed over before being exhaustively questioned by local authorities.
US President George W Bush has called his capture "a critical victory in the war on terror".
BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera says it is the most significant arrest since the 2003 capture of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, alleged mastermind of 9/11.
Our correspondent notes that the al-Qaeda hierarchy has always been fluid and complex and reports of him being the network's number three are hard to confirm.
However, there have been reports that he was involved in sending messages to al-Qaeda cells overseas with instructions to carry out attacks last year.
Bike swoop
Amanullah Khan, deputy superintendent of police in Mardan, told the BBC the capture on Monday was purely the work of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence service (ISI).
"This was all an ISI show," he said. "We got to the place after hearing a few gunshots."
He said he had recognised Libbi from photographs in newspapers.
Agents, some of whom had been wearing the all-encompassing robe worn by women in conservative Islamic families, stopped the motorbike and overpowered the driver, then fired some shots when Libbi ran away.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
I have a feeling that when the Pakistanis hand him over to the Americans it will be in barely connected pieces...
I think the condition you've noticed will deteriorate considerably in the very near future.
He'll wish he had been handed over to U.S.authorities after they have all his finger nails and toe nails removed plus have a lot of dental work done..
"A spider hole!A spider hole! I'd give my kingdom for a spider hole!"
At least those burqas are good for something.
I thought that the burqa detail was almost as good as hearing about Zarqawi's my pictures file.
I'll bet this guy got caught using info gathered from the laptop we got last week.
Here's hoping they Pakis are feeling distinctly unfriendly to this mope.
L
This guy was involved in two assassination attempts against Musharraf. I don't think his life is very pleasant right now. If, or when, he is handed over to the U.S., his nickname will probably be "stumpy."
Thats gotta hurt.
what was in the "my picture" file?
Any Paki interogation would have heavy influence by our CIA, Mossad, the works. Lots of sensory deprivation and confusion. Frankly the notebook he carried would be dyn-o-mite info. Impressions left by previous writings can go 10 pages or more back in time. Al Qaeda is now gone to ground and remote control, those notebooks are for dispatches to couriers and is all they have left for secured communications.
Daily Terrorist Round-Up 5/6/05 (Pakis arrest more terrorists; Coalition kills 64 Taliban)
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Embedded Item:
Bin Laden aide (al-Liby) had ten-strong British network
By Daniel McGrory
"Maybe he finally figured out that those 72 virgins (or was that Virginians) were Helen Thomas clones."
Muslime homo-cidal terrorist hell, the 72 virgins are all Michael Moore clones.
---Agents, some of whom had been wearing the all-encompassing robe worn by women in conservative Islamic families, stopped the motorbike and overpowered the driver---
"Darn, these babes are strong...."
He fell for the old burqa trick? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH.
That Fake Burqua Trick would play hell with dating, wouldn't it?
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