Five al-Qaeda suspects were handed over to US authorities and flown out of Pakistan on Monday, two Pakistani officials said. One of the officials said alleged September 11 planner Ramzi bin al-Shibah was among the suspects. The news reporting..
The officials did not say where the suspects were being taken. However, the PTV later quoted "government sources" as saying that "five terrorists arrested in Karachi have been handed over to America," including "one of the main accused involved in the conspiracy to attack the World Trade Center."
"They are not in Pakistan now." Five others who were detained would also be leaving the country soon, an official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
US President George W Bush thanked Pakistan for its cooperation. At a fundraiser for Iowa Congressman Jim Nussle, Bush said: "We're making good progress," in the US hunt for al-Qaeda and other terror suspects.
Saying al-Shibah had wanted to be the 20th hijacker in the September 11, 2001 attacks on US targets, Bush said he wanted to "thank the Pakistani government for cooperating with US personnel to bring this person to justice". This guy's just another killer, and we got him."
News of the transfer appeared to take even top officials in Pakistan by surprise. Senior government spokesman Maj-Gen Rashid Qureshi said he had no immediate information about any prisoner transfer. Earlier on Monday, Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider had said that while Pakistan would hand over the suspects, "they have to be produced before a magistrate and if he is satisfied with legalities the extradition would take place." |
