Posted on 05/13/2005 12:59:48 AM PDT by andie74
Pakistan says there will not be an early handover to the United States of the recently captured Libyan al-Qaeda suspect, Abu Faraj al-Libbi.
Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri said that Libbi would remain in Pakistani custody until "all issues are cleared".
Mr Kasuri said that Pakistan had a "very strong vested interest" in any handover because he is suspected of attempts on President Musharraf's life.
Libbi was arrested earlier this month in north-western Pakistan.
Pakistan and the US have described Libbi as the number three in al-Qaeda. Security analysts say his status is hard to confirm.
On the move
"Pakistan has a very strong record of sharing intelligence with our friends, and we have very strong links with the United States," Mr Kasuri said during a visit to Australia.
"So at the moment he's in the custody of the Pakistan government, and until all issues are cleared there's no question he's being handed over to anyone else."
Mr Kasuri said that it would be for the Pakistani interior ministry to decide when and if Libbi should be handed over.
"The Pakistani army has effectively paralysed the communication network of al-Qaeda both horizontally and vertically." -- Khurshid Kasuri
He said that if the al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden is still alive he was assumed to be "continually on the move" between Pakistani tribal areas and Afghanistan.
"The second assessment and a fair one, would be that he would not be moving with a large group of people otherwise he would be detected," Mr Kasuri said.
He said that "apart from a few stragglers" al-Qaeda's "capacity for mischief" had been vastly reduced.
"Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri said that Libbi would remain in Pakistani custody until "all issues are cleared". "
--> I wonder how much will be left of Libbi once they "hand" him to us? Maybe just a hand? hehehe.
I see an orange jumpsuit in Libbi's future...
I hope they DON'T give him to the US. We'll treat him to damn well.
If Abu Faraj al-Libbi will be sentenced to death, and all valuable information have been collected, that will allow US to let him be punished in Pakistan without being turned over to the US. In fact, Abu Faraj al-Libbi may be able to suffer a more suffering death by the death penalty.
Strange, but agree.
Oh, I agree. Think orange jumpsuit, Zarqawi style.
They probably want to be sure that OBL is long gone from the place where Abu Faraj al-Libbi says he last saw him or knew him to be living.
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