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| Terror Networks & Islam |
| Al-Libbi position within al-Qaeda disputed |
| 2005-05-05 |
| Both Pakistani and American officials described the man, a Libyan named Abu Faraj al-Libbi, as the third most senior leader in Al Qaeda's terrorist network, and President Bush called the arrest a "critical victory in the war on terror." But counterterrorism experts in Europe immediately raised questions about Mr. Libbi's importance. Pakistani officials said virtually nothing about either the circumstances of Mr. Libbi's arrest or the extent of American aid in the operation. The Central Intelligence Agency has worked extensively with Pakistani agents to search for Osama bin Laden and other Qaeda leaders in the tribal regions of the restive North-West Frontier Province. Pakistani officials said the arrest came early Monday in Mardan, a town 30 miles north of Peshawar. Both Pakistani and American officials seized on the arrest as a success in their joint efforts. "This is a big catch," Pakistan's information minister, Sheik Rashid Ahmed, said in a telephone interview. "We were looking for him for a very long time." White House officials described the arrest as the most important blow to Al Qaeda since the seizure more than two years ago of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who is said to have organized the 9/11 attacks. Pakistani officials said Mr. Libbi had succeeded Mr. Mohammed as head of Al Qaeda's operations in Pakistan, and American officials said he was involved in planning attacks in the United States. But some intelligence officials in Europe expressed surprise at hearing Mr. Libbi described as Al Qaeda's third-highest leader, pointing out that he does not figure on the F.B.I.'s most-wanted list. There is another Qaeda operative on the list with a similar name, Abu al-Liby, also a Libyan, who was indicted for an "operational role" in the bombings of two American embassies in East Africa in August 1998. (The surname, in its various transliterations, means simply the Libyan.) That'd be Anas al-Liby, a member of al-Qaeda's ruling council has been reported as having been jugged at various points in 2002. I've never heard a straight answer one way or another as to his current status, though he is on the FBI most wanted list. American officials, when asked about the doubts, dismissed the idea that they had confused the Libyans, saying they know Mr. Liby is on the list, and reaffirming the importance of Mr. Libbi. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |