|
Al-Qaeda man nabbed
More details coming out of Thailand:A Malaysian al-Qaeda member, who was arrested in Bangkok on Aug 11, was responsible for leading a joint Thai-CIA team to terror mastermind Hambaliâs hideout in Ayutthaya on the same day. The man, identified by regional intelligence officials by his nickname Li-Li, was a member of the al-Qaeda and not a member of Jemaah Islamiah (JI) as widely thought. Or he could be a member of both, Iâm sure they are not too picky about things like this. Intelligence sources said the joint team was able to extract information within four hours of Li-Liâs arrest at 6pm and this allowed them to swoop in on Hambali without much problem. "Forget the truncheon, Iâm in a hurry. Pass me the bamboo splinters and the pliers." Li-Li and another Malaysian, identified by his alias Zubair, captured in Bangkok in June, are believed to have been handed over to the CIA and taken away with Hambali for further interrogation. Sources said Zubair and Li-Li are said to be on the United Statesâ list of wanted al-Qaeda operatives in the region. Itâs a long list. It is learnt that Malaysian intelligence officers had at the end of last year sent out dossiers on Zubair and Li-Li to their counterparts in the region following interrogation of arrested JI operatives in Malaysia. The sources said Zubair and Li-Li were close to Hambali and knew his movements well. Besides being scouts for his hideouts, they were also Hambaliâs messengers and al-Qaeda contacts. Sounds like they are a big catch by themselves. The sources said Zubair, from Selangor, and Li-Li, from Johor, studied in Pakistan where they were recruited by the al-Qaeda. Everybody goes to Pakistan to "study". They never returned to the country after their studies and shuttled from Indonesia to Thailand and Afghanistan passing information to JI members. They were aware that the Malaysian authorities were on to them, but kept in touch with their friends here. Whose phones were most likely bugged. Posted by: Steve 2003-08-19 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=17784 |