A top Pakistani al Qaeda operative who used to run one of Osama bin Laden's network training camps in Afghanistan has been arrested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and handed over to Pakistani officials, the information minister said Sunday.
Qari Saifullah Akhtar is in Pakistani custody, the latest in a string of major breakthroughs against the al Qaeda network, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told The Associated Press.
Akhtar ran an al-Qaeda training camp in Rishkhor, Afghanistan, where activists learned kidnapping and assassination techniques, as well as traditional combat skills used by Taliban fighters in their war to win control of the country before they were ousted in late 2001.
"Yes we can confirm that we have Qari Saifullah," Ahmed said. The information minister said Akhtar was arrested in Dubai and was handed over to Pakistan but did not specify when. (Albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
