Armed Americans arrest arrest al-Qaeda suspect in Somalia: witnesses

Agence France-Presse | 3/19/03

[kattracks]

Six unidentified armed Americans have apprehended a presumed Yemeni national, suspected of having links to al-Qaeda, from a hospital in Somalia's capital and flew him out of the country.

On Tuesday the six men, accompanied by members of a Somali militia group, took the man from Kaysaney hospital. Staff named him only as Issa and said he was carrying a South African passport.

"The Americans with a Somali translator came with details of the man including his photograph and fingerprints," a nurse at Kaysaney hospital said Wednesday.

According to several sources in Mogadishu, the detained man is thought to have links to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.

The United States has no diplomatic representation in Somalia. The US embassy in Nairobi declined to comment on the reports.

In Nairobi, anti-terrorism unit police chief Malhew Kabetu said "there have been arrests" but declined to provide further details, or to say whether any of those arrests had taken place in Somalia.

In November last year, terrorists presumed to be linked to al-Qaeda blew up a hotel used by Israeli tourists near the Kenyan port city of Mombasa, killing 18 people -- including themselves -- and tried in vain to shoot down an Israeli passenger jet.

Sources in Mogadishu said more US agents arrived there on Tuesday.

"Those who arrested the Yemeni arrived from Nairobi a day earlier and their plane stayed overnight at Aisaley airport which is not far from the hospital," a Somali militiaman at the airport said.

"The Yemeni was then flown to Nairobi," he added.

Newspaper reports in Mogadishu said local police had a few days earlier foiled an attempt to kidnap Issa, which left the man wounded and requiring hospital treatment.

[The Wizard]

from a hospital????could this be the guy himself?????

[Squantos]

FYI.......Stay Safe !

[kattracks]

Sounds like someone they really wanted.

[AppyPappy]

"I am safe here in this hospital. The pig-dog Americans will never find me here..."
{knock, knock}
"Who is there, please"

 

"Candygram"

[kattracks]

And some others tried to "kidnap" him earlier.

[syriacus]

Newspaper reports in Mogadishu said local police had a few days earlier foiled an attempt to kidnap Issa, which left the man wounded and requiring hospital treatment.

I wonder if they were after a reward.

[piasa]

Newspaper reports in Mogadishu said local police had a few days earlier foiled an attempt to kidnap Issa, which left the man wounded and requiring hospital treatment. Ouch.

[trebb]

Yep - sure looks like the Dims are right: the President is obviously unable to concentrate on the war on terror while he gets ready to sanitize Iraq. I just love it when they step in it.

[solzhenitsyn]

Astonishing that this could be done in Somalia. It surely took courage!

[kattracks]

I wonder if they were after a reward.

Or maybe this was a rescue attempt?

[Dog]

Delta Force.....had to be..:-)

Guys we got another one!

[MrsEmmaPeel]

"Candygram"

LOL. How about ... Land Shark?

[bvw]

Nifty!

[patton]

Re-port!

[FreePaul]

The United States has no diplomatic representation in Somalia.

Looks as if we have at least six "diplomats" representing us in Somalia. Doing a better job than diplomats in some other countries.

[patton]

(+)

[baggadonuts]

Landshark

[Lion Den Dan]

Some more of those border protecting armed malitia guys. They have once aagain violated the soverign status of a peaceful nation and and the human rights of an innocent Islamist. Sarcasm off.

[aculeus]

God, I love reading stories like this.

Round them up! If they resist, kill them.

Never, never forget!