'Very Important' Al Qaeda Man Among Nine Arrested PAK Tribune ^ | 3/7/03 | n/a
Posted on 03/07/2003 2:59 AM CST by JustPiper
QUETTA, March 07 (Online): The American and local agencies Thursday arrested 9 Al-Qaeda suspects who may include Osama Bin Laden or his son near Shamshi airport near the Pak- Afghan border areas, sources said.
The sources added that the agencies were quite active in search operations for the last two days.
They maintained that at least one "very important" Al-Qaeda man (who may be Osama Bin Laden or his son) was also among the detainees.
The sources suggested that the operation near Chaghi could well be the follow up of reports that arrested Al-Qaeda suspect Sheikh Khalid Mohammed had told investigators about the whereabouts of Osama.
The detained suspect had reportedly told the investigators that Osama had met him in mountainous regions of frontier areas near Balochistan.
Sheikh Khalid along with two other suspects was arrested from Rawalpindi by the agencies. He was later handed over to the United States.
Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed when contacted showed ignorance about the incident.
"I don't have any information about this operation. I can't say anything", he told Online.
Presidential spokesman Maj. Gen. Rashid Qureshi also said that he had no knowledge about the incident. "No, nothing. I don't know", he told Online.
The US meanwhile has also put the Jamaat-e-Islami in the watch list suspecting alleged links with Al-Qaeda.
The religious parties in Pakistan, already furious over possibility of US attack on Iraq, have shown strong reaction to the arrest of Sheikh Khalid Mohammed and others.
The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal led by Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani vows to fight the "aggressor" US until the end.
posted on 03/07/2003 2:59 AM CST by JustPiper
Folx doubted the validity of the source and now MSNBC is repeating this story but with a different twist. in a little over six hours , now there was a fight and these nine are dead!
Great post. This is going to be a very interesting day.