Pakistan questioning almost 20 al-Qaeda Suspects
By Umer Sohail - Pakistan Times Staff Reporter

ISLAMABAD: Almost 20 al-Qaeda suspects have been captured by Pakistani security forces in the past three weeks, Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat said Thursday.

"Some of them are Pakistanis and some are foreigners. We have extracted a wealth of information from all those who have been arrested," he told reporters in Islamabad.

In-depth

"These terrorists, they have their network spread out all over the world." Computer files taken from suspected key operatives Naeem Noor Khan, a Pakistani computer expert, and Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, a Tanzanian indicted over his alleged role in the 1998 US embassy bombings in east Africa, contributed to heightened terror alerts in the US.

The files contained detailed surveillance photos and records of key financial institutions in New York, Newark and Washington. Security officials have told that Khan also had plans to attack London's Heathrow airport.

Probe

Pakistani authorities were interrogating the detainees and would not hand them over to other countries until their own probe was completed, Hayat said.

"They have been arrested by Pakistan. They have been involved in acts of subversion and violence in Pakistan," the minister said.

"So until and unless Pakistani agencies complete their own investigation there is absolutely no chance of them being handed over to any other country." Hayat denied giving information to authorities in Britain on Al-Qaeda suspects.

Tip to UK

Another report says that Pakistani authorities had tipped off their British counterparts on the presence of senior al-Qaeda operative Abu Eisa Al Hindi.

"It has led to the arrest of a senior al-Qaeda man in Britain," reports suggest.

Two South Africans allegedly plotting to attack tourist sites in Johannesburg and a Nigerian man who was carrying coded messages on computer cds as he tried to fly out of the country were also arrested.

Ghailani

Interrogators have said Ghailani had fled a military crackdown in Pakistan's northwest tribal region near the border with Afghanistan sometime in June and was sheltered at the rented house with the help of local sympathisers.

Ghailani and Khan are being questioned at an undisclosed location in Pakistan, security officials said.

Hayat rejected local media reports that Ghailani had been handed over to the US custody. "He is in our custody and our agencies are interrogating him," the Minister said.

Pakistan has no terrorist training camps: Info Minister

Minister for Information Sheikh Rashid Ahmad Thursday strongly rejected the CNN's report which claimed that Pakistan has terrorist training camps on its territory.

Terming the report as totally baseless and fabricated, he said Pakistan itself is a victim of terrorism and trying to eliminate it despite all the dangers involved.

Pakistan would win the war against terrorism through its determined and consistent efforts, he stated.

Talking to CNN, Sheikh Rashid, brushed aside the allegations levelled in its report about terrorists camps on Pakistani territory. He said certain elements were indulging in baseless propaganda Pakistan for their vested interests, in order to damage the country's image.

In fact Pakistan, he said, was playing a leading role in the war against terrorism and its efforts were lauded by the world community including the United States. Pakistan is against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and strongly condemned it, he said.

Sheikh Rashid said the Pakistani law enforcement agencies have succeeded in busting various terrorist groups. Last month, a number of arrests were made which included some of the most wanted terrorists, he said and added, it reflects the sincerity and dedication of the security agencies.

He said there had been attempts on the lives of President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister designate Shaukat Aziz, following the crackdown on terrorists in the country. Despite all this Pakistan is committed to eradicate terrorism, he added.

Rashid also strongly dispelled the CNN's statement that Pakistan only traces the terrorists when it faces external pressure. He said President Pervez Musharraf is playing an important role in uprooting terrorism and Pakistan has already carried out successful operations against the terrorists in the tribal areas. These operations reflect President Musharraf's and Pakistan's determination to curb terrorism.●