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BACK TO : PROPAGANDA AND THE GWOT Year 4 - 2005
No. 3 figure in Al Qaeda is captured in Pakistan by Salman Masood 
No. 3 figure in Al Qaeda is captured in Pakistan By Salman Masood, The New York Times THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2005 ISLAMABAD, Pakistan A senior Qaeda official suspected of orchestrating two assassination attempts against the Pakistani president, General Pervez Musharraf, has been captured, Pakistani officials said Wednesday. The man, Abu Faraj al-Libbi, described by a U.S. counterterrorism official as the third most senior leader in the Qaeda terrorist network, was arrested Tuesday, said Sheik Rashid Ahmed, the Pakistani information minister. Libbi, a native of Libya, was captured during a raid in South Waziristan, the tribal redoubt of Qaeda fighters and their Islamist sympathizers, Ahmed said. "This is a big catch," Ahmed said in a telephone interview. "We were looking for him for a very long time." In Washington, a counterterrorism official described the arrest of Libbi as the most important blow to Al Qaeda since the arrest of Khalid Sheik Mohammed in March 2003 in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad. The official, who asked not to be identified, called Libbi the third most important figure in Al Qaeda, after Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri. He said that Libbi had played a key role in Qaeda operations, including planning attacks against the United States. In Washington, President George W. Bush said on Wednesday during a speech on Social Security that the capture of Libbi had removed "a direct threat" to the United States. "Today's report of the capture of a top Al Qaeda operative, Abu Faraj al-Libbi, represents a critical victory in the war on terror," Bush said. "Now al-Libbi was a top general for bin Laden. He was a major facilitator and chief planner for the Al Qaeda network. His arrest removed a dangerous enemy who was a direct threat to America." The U.S. official said that human intelligence had "played a critical role" in the arrest of Libbi, but he would not be more precise about the role the CIA or others might have played in the arrest. He also would not say whether Libbi was likely to remain in Pakistani custody or be given to the CIA, which is holding Mohammed and other Qaeda leaders at undisclosed locations around the world. Libbi is also the chief suspect in two incidents in December 2003, both in the garrison town of Rawalpindi, near Islamabad. In the first incident, although a bomb ripped through a bridge moments after Musharraf's motorcade passed by, no one was hurt. In the second, two suicide bombers tried to ram the president's car with vehicles stuffed with explosives and nearly 17 people, mostly police officers, were killed. Libbi's alleged accomplice in the incidents was a well-known Pakistani militant named Amjad Hussain Farooqi, also implicated in the murder of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter. Farooqi was killed last September in a shootout with security forces in southern Pakistan. Two Pakistani soldiers have been convicted in the assassination attempts. One of them, sentenced to death, escaped from a military prison in November. There were conflicting reports on exactly when and how Libbi was apprehended. A Reuters report quoted the Pakistani interior minister, Aftab Sherpao, as saying that Libbi had been arrested a few days ago. Ahmed, however, said that the arrest was made on Tuesday. Other members of the Qaeda leadership have been better known, but some of them have been in Iran for more than a year, where their role has been diminished, the U.S. official said. Pakistan had offered a reward of about $340,000 for information leading to the arrest of Libbi. Musharraf's alliance with the U.S.-led war on terror has made him a target of Islamist militants. Douglas Jehl contributed reporting from Washington for this article. Libbi was 'shadowy figure' For a man said to have been No. 3 in Al Qaeda, Libbi has managed to keep a remarkably low profile, Reuters reported from Islamabad. His picture was not even among the mug shots on the FBI Web site of most wanted terrorists. But the capture may present the best chance yet of tracking down the Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri. "If anyone in Pakistan knows their whereabouts, it would be him," one intelligence official said, although Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao said it was "premature" to speculate. With Libbi in custody, Pakistani security officials were ready to reveal more about the shadowy figure that Western intelligence says took over the mantle of Khalid Sheik Mohammed, credited with planning the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. Born in 1965, Libbi first came to Pakistan during the 1980s to fight in a jihad, or holy war, backed by the United States, against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. And he had helped recruit Arab holy warriors for the cause that also brought the Saudi-born bin Laden to the region. After the Afghan jihad ended, Libbi went on to join bin Laden in Sudan in the early 1990s. Within Qaeda circles Libbi was known as Dr. Taufeeq, a common Pakistani name, although his real name is reportedly Ibrahim, while his father's name is Faraj. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan A senior Qaeda official suspected of orchestrating two assassination attempts against the Pakistani president, General Pervez Musharraf, has been captured, Pakistani officials said Wednesday. The man, Abu Faraj al-Libbi, described by a U.S. counterterrorism official as the third most senior leader in the Qaeda terrorist network, was arrested Tuesday, said Sheik Rashid Ahmed, the Pakistani information minister. Libbi, a native of Libya, was captured during a raid in South Waziristan, the tribal redoubt of Qaeda fighters and their Islamist sympathizers, Ahmed said. "This is a big catch," Ahmed said in a telephone interview. "We were looking for him for a very long time." In Washington, a counterterrorism official described the arrest of Libbi as the most important blow to Al Qaeda since the arrest of Khalid Sheik Mohammed in March 2003 in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad. The official, who asked not to be identified, called Libbi the third most important figure in Al Qaeda, after Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri. He said that Libbi had played a key role in Qaeda operations, including planning attacks against the United States. In Washington, President George W. Bush said on Wednesday during a speech on Social Security that the capture of Libbi had removed "a direct threat" to the United States. "Today's report of the capture of a top Al Qaeda operative, Abu Faraj al-Libbi, represents a critical victory in the war on terror," Bush said. "Now al-Libbi was a top general for bin Laden. He was a major facilitator and chief planner for the Al Qaeda network. His arrest removed a dangerous enemy who was a direct threat to America." The U.S. official said that human intelligence had "played a critical role" in the arrest of Libbi, but he would not be more precise about the role the CIA or others might have played in the arrest. He also would not say whether Libbi was likely to remain in Pakistani custody or be given to the CIA, which is holding Mohammed and other Qaeda leaders at undisclosed locations around the world. Libbi is also the chief suspect in two incidents in December 2003, both in the garrison town of Rawalpindi, near Islamabad. In the first incident, although a bomb ripped through a bridge moments after Musharraf's motorcade passed by, no one was hurt. In the second, two suicide bombers tried to ram the president's car with vehicles stuffed with explosives and nearly 17 people, mostly police officers, were killed. Libbi's alleged accomplice in the incidents was a well-known Pakistani militant named Amjad Hussain Farooqi, also implicated in the murder of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter. Farooqi was killed last September in a shootout with security forces in southern Pakistan. Two Pakistani soldiers have been convicted in the assassination attempts. One of them, sentenced to death, escaped from a military prison in November. There were conflicting reports on exactly when and how Libbi was apprehended. A Reuters report quoted the Pakistani interior minister, Aftab Sherpao, as saying that Libbi had been arrested a few days ago. Ahmed, however, said that the arrest was made on Tuesday. Other members of the Qaeda leadership have been better known, but some of them have been in Iran for more than a year, where their role has been diminished, the U.S. official said. Pakistan had offered a reward of about $340,000 for information leading to the arrest of Libbi. Musharraf's alliance with the U.S.-led war on terror has made him a target of Islamist militants. Douglas Jehl contributed reporting from Washington for this article. Libbi was 'shadowy figure' For a man said to have been No. 3 in Al Qaeda, Libbi has managed to keep a remarkably low profile, Reuters reported from Islamabad. His picture was not even among the mug shots on the FBI Web site of most wanted terrorists. But the capture may present the best chance yet of tracking down the Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri. "If anyone in Pakistan knows their whereabouts, it would be him," one intelligence official said, although Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao said it was "premature" to speculate. With Libbi in custody, Pakistani security officials were ready to reveal more about the shadowy figure that Western intelligence says took over the mantle of Khalid Sheik Mohammed, credited with planning the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. Born in 1965, Libbi first came to Pakistan during the 1980s to fight in a jihad, or holy war, backed by the United States, against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. And he had helped recruit Arab holy warriors for the cause that also brought the Saudi-born bin Laden to the region. After the Afghan jihad ended, Libbi went on to join bin Laden in Sudan in the early 1990s. Within Qaeda circles Libbi was known as Dr. Taufeeq, a common Pakistani name, although his real name is reportedly Ibrahim, while his father's name is Faraj. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan A senior Qaeda official suspected of orchestrating two assassination attempts against the Pakistani president, General Pervez Musharraf, has been captured, Pakistani officials said Wednesday. The man, Abu Faraj al-Libbi, described by a U.S. counterterrorism official as the third most senior leader in the Qaeda terrorist network, was arrested Tuesday, said Sheik Rashid Ahmed, the Pakistani information minister. Libbi, a native of Libya, was captured during a raid in South Waziristan, the tribal redoubt of Qaeda fighters and their Islamist sympathizers, Ahmed said. "This is a big catch," Ahmed said in a telephone interview. "We were looking for him for a very long time." In Washington, a counterterrorism official described the arrest of Libbi as the most important blow to Al Qaeda since the arrest of Khalid Sheik Mohammed in March 2003 in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad. The official, who asked not to be identified, called Libbi the third most important figure in Al Qaeda, after Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri. He said that Libbi had played a key role in Qaeda operations, including planning attacks against the United States. In Washington, President George W. Bush said on Wednesday during a speech on Social Security that the capture of Libbi had removed "a direct threat" to the United States. "Today's report of the capture of a top Al Qaeda operative, Abu Faraj al-Libbi, represents a critical victory in the war on terror," Bush said. "Now al-Libbi was a top general for bin Laden. He was a major facilitator and chief planner for the Al Qaeda network. His arrest removed a dangerous enemy who was a direct threat to America." The U.S. official said that human intelligence had "played a critical role" in the arrest of Libbi, but he would not be more precise about the role the CIA or others might have played in the arrest. He also would not say whether Libbi was likely to remain in Pakistani custody or be given to the CIA, which is holding Mohammed and other Qaeda leaders at undisclosed locations around the world. Libbi is also the chief suspect in two incidents in December 2003, both in the garrison town of Rawalpindi, near Islamabad. In the first incident, although a bomb ripped through a bridge moments after Musharraf's motorcade passed by, no one was hurt. In the second, two suicide bombers tried to ram the president's car with vehicles stuffed with explosives and nearly 17 people, mostly police officers, were killed. Libbi's alleged accomplice in the incidents was a well-known Pakistani militant named Amjad Hussain Farooqi, also implicated in the murder of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter. Farooqi was killed last September in a shootout with security forces in southern Pakistan. Two Pakistani soldiers have been convicted in the assassination attempts. One of them, sentenced to death, escaped from a military prison in November. There were conflicting reports on exactly when and how Libbi was apprehended. A Reuters report quoted the Pakistani interior minister, Aftab Sherpao, as saying that Libbi had been arrested a few days ago. Ahmed, however, said that the arrest was made on Tuesday. Other members of the Qaeda leadership have been better known, but some of them have been in Iran for more than a year, where their role has been diminished, the U.S. official said. Pakistan had offered a reward of about $340,000 for information leading to the arrest of Libbi. Musharraf's alliance with the U.S.-led war on terror has made him a target of Islamist militants. Douglas Jehl contributed reporting from Washington for this article. Libbi was 'shadowy figure' For a man said to have been No. 3 in Al Qaeda, Libbi has managed to keep a remarkably low profile, Reuters reported from Islamabad. His picture was not even among the mug shots on the FBI Web site of most wanted terrorists. But the capture may present the best chance yet of tracking down the Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri. "If anyone in Pakistan knows their whereabouts, it would be him," one intelligence official said, although Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao said it was "premature" to speculate. With Libbi in custody, Pakistani security officials were ready to reveal more about the shadowy figure that Western intelligence says took over the mantle of Khalid Sheik Mohammed, credited with planning the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. Born in 1965, Libbi first came to Pakistan during the 1980s to fight in a jihad, or holy war, backed by the United States, against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. And he had helped recruit Arab holy warriors for the cause that also brought the Saudi-born bin Laden to the region. After the Afghan jihad ended, Libbi went on to join bin Laden in Sudan in the early 1990s. Within Qaeda circles Libbi was known as Dr. Taufeeq, a common Pakistani name, although his real name is reportedly Ibrahim, while his father's name is Faraj. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan A senior Qaeda official suspected of orchestrating two assassination attempts against the Pakistani president, General Pervez Musharraf, has been captured, Pakistani officials said Wednesday. The man, Abu Faraj al-Libbi, described by a U.S. counterterrorism official as the third most senior leader in the Qaeda terrorist network, was arrested Tuesday, said Sheik Rashid Ahmed, the Pakistani information minister. Libbi, a native of Libya, was captured during a raid in South Waziristan, the tribal redoubt of Qaeda fighters and their Islamist sympathizers, Ahmed said. "This is a big catch," Ahmed said in a telephone interview. "We were looking for him for a very long time." In Washington, a counterterrorism official described the arrest of Libbi as the most important blow to Al Qaeda since the arrest of Khalid Sheik Mohammed in March 2003 in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad. The official, who asked not to be identified, called Libbi the third most important figure in Al Qaeda, after Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri. He said that Libbi had played a key role in Qaeda operations, including planning attacks against the United States. In Washington, President George W. Bush said on Wednesday during a speech on Social Security that the capture of Libbi had removed "a direct threat" to the United States. "Today's report of the capture of a top Al Qaeda operative, Abu Faraj al-Libbi, represents a critical victory in the war on terror," Bush said. "Now al-Libbi was a top general for bin Laden. He was a major facilitator and chief planner for the Al Qaeda network. His arrest removed a dangerous enemy who was a direct threat to America." The U.S. official said that human intelligence had "played a critical role" in the arrest of Libbi, but he would not be more precise about the role the CIA or others might have played in the arrest. He also would not say whether Libbi was likely to remain in Pakistani custody or be given to the CIA, which is holding Mohammed and other Qaeda leaders at undisclosed locations around the world. Libbi is also the chief suspect in two incidents in December 2003, both in the garrison town of Rawalpindi, near Islamabad. In the first incident, although a bomb ripped through a bridge moments after Musharraf's motorcade passed by, no one was hurt. In the second, two suicide bombers tried to ram the president's car with vehicles stuffed with explosives and nearly 17 people, mostly police officers, were killed. Libbi's alleged accomplice in the incidents was a well-known Pakistani militant named Amjad Hussain Farooqi, also implicated in the murder of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter. Farooqi was killed last September in a shootout with security forces in southern Pakistan. Two Pakistani soldiers have been convicted in the assassination attempts. One of them, sentenced to death, escaped from a military prison in November. There were conflicting reports on exactly when and how Libbi was apprehended. A Reuters report quoted the Pakistani interior minister, Aftab Sherpao, as saying that Libbi had been arrested a few days ago. Ahmed, however, said that the arrest was made on Tuesday. Other members of the Qaeda leadership have been better known, but some of them have been in Iran for more than a year, where their role has been diminished, the U.S. official said. Pakistan had offered a reward of about $340,000 for information leading to the arrest of Libbi. Musharraf's alliance with the U.S.-led war on terror has made him a target of Islamist militants. Douglas Jehl contributed reporting from Washington for this article. Libbi was 'shadowy figure' For a man said to have been No. 3 in Al Qaeda, Libbi has managed to keep a remarkably low profile, Reuters reported from Islamabad. His picture was not even among the mug shots on the FBI Web site of most wanted terrorists. But the capture may present the best chance yet of tracking down the Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri. "If anyone in Pakistan knows their whereabouts, it would be him," one intelligence official said, although Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao said it was "premature" to speculate. With Libbi in custody, Pakistani security officials were ready to reveal more about the shadowy figure that Western intelligence says took over the mantle of Khalid Sheik Mohammed, credited with planning the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. Born in 1965, Libbi first came to Pakistan during the 1980s to fight in a jihad, or holy war, backed by the United States, against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. And he had helped recruit Arab holy warriors for the cause that also brought the Saudi-born bin Laden to the region. After the Afghan jihad ended, Libbi went on to join bin Laden in Sudan in the early 1990s. Within Qaeda circles Libbi was known as Dr. Taufeeq, a common Pakistani name, although his real name is reportedly Ibrahim, while his father's name is Faraj. |